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Stephanie Barna

Stephanie Barna draws on over three decades of U.S. military and government service to provide advisory and advocacy support and counseling to clients facing policy and political challenges in the aerospace and defense sectors.

Prior to joining the firm, Stephanie was a senior leader on Capitol Hill and in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Most recently, she was General Counsel of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where she was responsible for the annual $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Additionally, she managed the Senate confirmation of three- and four-star military officers and civilians nominated by the President for appointment to senior political positions in DoD and the Department of Energy’s national security nuclear enterprise, and was the Committee’s lead for investigations.

Previously, as a senior executive in the Office of the Army General Counsel, Stephanie served as a legal advisor to three Army Secretaries. In 2014, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel appointed her to be the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. In that role, she was a principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on all matters relating to civilian and military personnel, reserve integration, military community and family policy, and Total Force manpower and resources. Stephanie was later appointed by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to perform the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, responsible for programs and funding of more than $35 billion.

Stephanie was also previously the Deputy General Counsel for Operations and Personnel in the Office of the Army General Counsel. She led a team of senior lawyers in resolving the full spectrum of issues arising from Army wartime operations and the life cycle of Army military and civilian personnel. Stephanie was also a personal advisor to the Army Secretary on his institutional reorganization and business transformation initiatives and acted for the Secretary in investigating irregularities in fielding of the Multiple Launch Rocket System and classified contracts. She also played a key role in a number of high-profile personnel investigations, including the WikiLeaks breach. Prior to her appointment as Deputy, she was Associate Deputy General Counsel (Operations and Personnel) and Acting Deputy General Counsel.

Stephanie is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army and served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps as an Assistant to the General Counsel, Office of the Army General Counsel; Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne); Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs); and General Law Attorney, Administrative Law Division.

Stephanie was selected by the National Academy of Public Administration for inclusion in its 2022 Class of Academy Fellows, in recognition of her years of public administration service and expertise.

Contact:Read more about Stephanie BarnaEmail

As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) signed into law by the President on July 4th, Congress made approximately $150 billion in appropriations to support defense and national security priorities.  As detailed further below, OBBBA touches on many different defense industries and sectors—including the maritime industry, missile systems, space and satellite technologies, nuclear technologies, and artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.  Further, the OBBBA appropriates significant funding to support strategic investments in the defense industrial base and provides the Department of Defense (“DoD”) with an extended timeline (until 2029) to execute these investments.  Existing government contractors, and advanced technology providers interested in becoming contractors, should closely monitor the implementation of these OBBBA provisions, which will shape DoD opportunities for years to come.Continue Reading One Big Beautiful Bill Act makes $150B investment in Defense

The Trump Administration continues to focus on procurement reform aimed at increasing acquisition efficiency, including through the “Revolutionary FAR Overhaul” and reinforced preference for commercial products. Now, with the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) introducing a defense procurement reform bill, it is clear that HASC leadership is also targeting increased efficiency as a key goal of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (FY26 NDAA). We cover the bill’s key proposals and their potential impact on defense contractors below.Continue Reading SPEEDing up Procurement?: House Armed Services Bill Seeks to Reform Defense Acquisition

On April 20th, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers, including Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) in the Senate and Representative John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Representative Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) in the House, reintroduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America Act of 2025 (the “SHIPS Act” or the “Act”). The SHIPS Act’s sponsors describe the bill as a “comprehensive approach to revitalizing the U.S. Merchant Marine.” It aims to: (1) establish national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy; (2) make U.S.-flagged vessels more commercially competitive through de-regulation; (3) rebuild the U.S. shipyard industrial base; and (4) expand and strengthen the maritime labor force. It also sets a goal for establishing a fleet of 250 U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce.Continue Reading Reintroduced SHIPS Act Signals Continued Momentum for Domestic Maritime Investment

On April 9, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (“EO”), “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation In the Defense Industrial Base,” that may have significant implications for federal government contractors doing business with the Department of Defense (“DoD”), and particularly those with touchpoints to Major Defense Acquisition Programs (“MDAPs”).Continue Reading Trump Administration Issues Executive Order Aimed At Modernizing Defense Acquisitions And Spurring Innovation

President Trump issued a series of executive orders (“EOs”) and presidential memoranda on Wednesday, April 9, that could impact government contractors across a broad range of industries.  Among other initiatives, these executive actions seek to reform the defense acquisition system, reinvigorate the U.S. maritime industry, and streamline foreign military sales.  The actions also reflect President Trump’s goal of catalyzing innovation and economic growth by reducing regulatory burdens, both in general and in the energy industry specifically.

We briefly summarize below the six April 9 executive actions most likely to impact government contractors.Continue Reading New Executive Actions Address the Defense Acquisition System, U.S. Maritime Industries, Foreign Military Sales, and “Unlawful” Regulations

On April 1, the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) announced that it received more than 200 applications, totaling over $8.9 billion in financing requests, across 38 states for the inaugural solicitation under OSC’s Domestic Manufacturing Loan Program.  As covered in a prior post, under the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) released last fall, OSC plans to loan up to $984 million to eligible companies to expand the U.S. industrial base, with individual loans ranging between $10 million to $150 million.  These OSC loans will support advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, decision science, edge computing, mesh networks, microelectronics, solar, and quantum computing technologies, and eligible investments must have both a defense and a commercial application.   Continue Reading DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital Reports Significant Interest in Domestic Manufacturing Loan Program

On March 20, 2025, President Trump issued executive order (“EO”) Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement, which will have significant effects on federal government contracting.  The EO is intended to consolidate “domestic Federal procurement” within the General Services Administration (“GSA”) to “eliminate waste and duplication.”

The EO has two primary objectives:

  1. It grants GSA an increased role in the U.S. Government’s acquisition of “common goods and services”.
  2. It designates the GSA Administrator as “the executive agent for all Government-wide acquisition contracts for information technology” pursuant to 40 U.S.C. § 11302(e).[1]

We have summarized key provisions and potential effects of the EO further below.Continue Reading Executive Order Issued To Expand GSA’s Role in Acquisition of “Common Goods and Services” and Information Technology

The FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) sustains Congress’s continued focus on countering China’s expanding influence and enhancing U.S. resilience in an era of great power competition.  This year’s legislation reflects the practice of carrying the State Department and Intelligence Authorization Acts within the NDAA—marking the third consecutive year that these critical measures have been advanced in tandem.  The Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees in both chambers of Congress have increasingly adopted the Armed Services Committees’ playbook, embedding China-focused legislation modeled on past defense measures in their respective authorizations.  This blog examines key provisions designed to address what Congress views as strategic challenges posed by China while closing loopholes that could confer military, economic, or technological advantages to Beijing.  We divide these provisions into the following five categories:  (1) provisions that address potential security risks linked to Chinese-origin technology; (2) provisions that limit the transfer of U.S. technology or data to China; (3) so-called “time to choose” provisions that curtail Department of Defense (“DoD”) engagement with third parties that engage with China; (4) provisions that tackle a range of broader geopolitical concerns; and (5) studies and reports to identify emerging issues and concerns.
Continue Reading FY2025 NDAA: Congressional Efforts to Bolster U.S. Resilience Against Chinese Tech and Influence

Since 1986, the little brother to the civil False Claims Act, known as the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986 (“PFCRA”), has seen very little use.  Section 5203 of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) seeks to breathe new life into the law by renaming it…

Continue Reading Congress Attempts to Revitalize the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act

This is the first blog in a series covering the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (“FY 2025 NDAA”).  This first blog will cover: (1) NDAA sections affecting acquisition policy and contract administration that may be of greatest interest to government contractors; (2) initiatives that underscore Congress’s commitment to strengthening cybersecurity, both domestically and internationally; and (3) NDAA provisions that aim to accelerate the Department of Defense’s adoption of AI and Autonomous Systems and counter efforts by U.S. adversaries to subvert them. …
Continue Reading President Biden signs the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025