Defense, Security, and Aerospace

Overview

The defense, security, and aerospace sector lies at the very heart of national security policy, critical infrastructure, and transformative technology, making it one of the most demanding and important operating environments for any business with a global footprint. From prime contractors and OEMs, to dual-use technology companies, private equity investors, and non-U.S. companies seeking to enter allied markets, any business working in this sector must navigate a complex web of regulatory requirements, heightened scrutiny, and rapidly shifting government priorities across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

Crowell's global Defense, Security, and Aerospace practice brings together an impressive multidisciplinary team of lawyers, from Washington, D.C., London, Brussels, and beyond. We have combined decades of private practice experience with extensive government service (our team includes former officials from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, for example) to form a team that is perfectly equipped to deliver practical, coordinated counsel wherever our clients operate.

And our clients operate in every dimension of this sector. Our capabilities reflect the breadth of legal challenges and opportunities our clients face:

We are consistently recognised as a market leader in government contracts and procurement, ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA and named Law360's Government Contracts Practice Group of the Year for more than a decade, advising on the entire contracting lifecycle across procurement frameworks, including bids and protests, cost and pricing, regulatory compliance, audits, and dispute resolution.
Our dispute resolution practice for this sector spans government contract litigation, international arbitration, sanctions and export control enforcement defense, and commercial disputes, providing clients with specialist advocacy across jurisdictions and at all stages of proceedings, from early-stage strategy through to resolution.
We guide clients through increasingly rigorous foreign investment screening processes, including CFIUS and FOCI in the United States, the EU foreign direct investment (FDI) screening mechanisms, and the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act in the United Kingdom, advising on transaction structuring, mitigation agreements, and ongoing compliance obligations.
Our team delivers integrated counsel on privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, helping defense and security clients manage cyber risk, achieve compliance with CMMC, DFARS, NIS2, GDPR, and related frameworks, and navigate the responsible development and deployment of AI in sensitive and regulated environments.
We provide comprehensive advice on import and export controls across jurisdictions, including U.S. ITAR and EAR, EU dual-use regulations, and U.K. strategic export licensing, covering classification, licensing, voluntary self-disclosures, and enforcement defense.
For companies structuring and executing transactions, our corporate practice has deep knowledge of the sector, and extensive experience in helping clients with due diligence, risk assessments, entity incorporations, and the negotiation and structuring of M&A transactions, joint ventures, and other complex commercial and government-facing arrangements.
We also advise on intellectual property rights, including data rights and IP ownership in government-funded research and development, licensing of sensitive technologies, and protection of proprietary assets in an era of heightened state-sponsored IP risk.

For more information and contacts in your jurisdiction, please visit our dedicated pages: United States | United Kingdom | European Union

And our clients operate in every dimension of this sector. Our capabilities reflect the breadth of legal challenges and opportunities our clients face:

We are consistently recognised as a market leader in government contracts and procurement, ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA and named Law360's Government Contracts Practice Group of the Year for more than a decade, advising on the entire contracting lifecycle across procurement frameworks, including bids and protests, cost and pricing, regulatory compliance, audits, and dispute resolution.
Our dispute resolution practice for this sector spans government contract litigation, international arbitration, sanctions and export control enforcement defense, and commercial disputes, providing clients with specialist advocacy across jurisdictions and at all stages of proceedings, from early-stage strategy through to resolution.
We guide clients through increasingly rigorous foreign investment screening processes, including CFIUS and FOCI in the United States, the EU foreign direct investment (FDI) screening mechanisms, and the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act in the United Kingdom, advising on transaction structuring, mitigation agreements, and ongoing compliance obligations.
Our team delivers integrated counsel on privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, helping defense and security clients manage cyber risk, achieve compliance with CMMC, DFARS, NIS2, GDPR, and related frameworks, and navigate the responsible development and deployment of AI in sensitive and regulated environments.
We provide comprehensive advice on import and export controls across jurisdictions, including U.S. ITAR and EAR, EU dual-use regulations, and U.K. strategic export licensing, covering classification, licensing, voluntary self-disclosures, and enforcement defense.
For companies structuring and executing transactions, our corporate practice has deep knowledge of the sector, and extensive experience in helping clients with due diligence, risk assessments, entity incorporations, and the negotiation and structuring of M&A transactions, joint ventures, and other complex commercial and government-facing arrangements.
We also advise on intellectual property rights, including data rights and IP ownership in government-funded research and development, licensing of sensitive technologies, and protection of proprietary assets in an era of heightened state-sponsored IP risk.

For more information and contacts in your jurisdiction, please visit our dedicated pages: United States | United Kingdom | European Union

Primary Contacts