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Alan Estevez

Alan Estevez draws on 30+ years of service in senior roles in the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Defense to provide strategic advice to clients on cross-border investment and national security matters, including reviews conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and international trade controls.

A non-lawyer, Alan joined the firm after serving as Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. In that role, he led the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and oversaw U.S. government efforts to protect U.S. and allied technology from being acquired and used against the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Prior to his role at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Alan was a national security strategy and logistics executive at Deloitte where he led acquisition, contracting, and logistics support for multiple complex operations and worked with a range of clients to help innovate and transform their own capabilities.

Previously, Alan held a number of senior roles at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) during a distinguished 36-year career, including as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics. In that role, he oversaw more than 40,000 people, a $20 billion budget, and an annual equipment and services contract spend of $300 billion. Alan also served as DoD’s representative to CFIUS.

Earlier in his tenure at DoD, Alan was the first career federal official ever to hold the Senate confirmed position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness. In that role, he provided world-class military logistics support to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and managed a budget of over $170 billion in logistics operations. Alan also previously served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness.

Alan has been repeatedly honored throughout his career, earning, among numerous other plaudits, three DoD Distinguished Public Service Medals, two Presidential Rank Awards (Meritorious and Distinguished Executive), and the National Security Service to America Medal. Alan was presented with the National Defense Industrial Association Logistician Emeritus Award and the National Defense Transportation Association Distinguished Government Service Award.

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On August 20, 2025, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) issued a sweeping memo that tears up and rebuilds the way the military decides what new weapons and systems it needs.  The Military Services appear to be wasting no time translating the memo into action.  Acquisition leaders at last week’s Association of the United States Army conference emphasized that “Transforming in Contact” will serve as the framework for redefining requirements and reprioritizing programs—demonstrating that reform is already underway.  For its part, the Air Force has begun reorganizing its A5/7 directorate to assume greater responsibility for requirements generation, while the Chief of Space Operations has publicly outlined the Space Force path to driving requirements and resourcing.  

This “requirements process” is the first step in acquisition—it defines the problem and tells the rest of the system what to buy, build, or develop.  Change the requirements process and you change the entire defense marketplace.  For decades, DoD has used a system called the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (“JCIDS”).  JCIDS was paperwork-heavy and checklist-driven:  the Military Services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force) would write lengthy justifications for new programs, and those proposals would wind their way through layers of approval at the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.  Critics said JCIDS was too slow and too rigid for modern threats, especially as China and other adversaries innovate quickly.

The August 20 memo blows up that model.  In its place, DoD is putting forward a problem-focused approach that aims to:

  • Define the biggest operational challenges first(not just collect Military Service wish lists)
  • Tie priorities to moneyso “important” projects actually get funded
  • Bring industry into the process earlierthrough experiments, not just proposals
  • Cut out layers of low value review

Below we unpack the memo and offer five practical takeaways for industry.Continue Reading JCIDS, Rewired:  What DoD’s New Requirements Memo Means

On August 13, 2025, the White House issued Executive Order 14335, “Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry” (“EO 14335” or the “EO”).  Framed as a push to “enhance American greatness by enabling a competitive launch marketplace and substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence and novel space activities by 2030,” EO 14335 directs federal agencies to reform regulatory barriers in four key areas:  (1) commercial launch and reentry, (2) spaceport infrastructure, (3) novel space activity authorization, and (4) leadership and accountability.  Sec. 2.  Each of these initiatives aims to streamline bureaucracy, reduce delays, and accelerate U.S. commercial space growth.  Below, we break down the EO’s provisions in each area and examine their significance for industry stakeholders.Continue Reading To Efficiency and Beyond?:  President Trump Issues Executive Order to Enable a Competitive Space Launch Market