The Department of Defense (DoD) recently adopted a final rule amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).  The rule implements increased whistleblower protections for contractor and subcontractor employees from Section 827 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.

The rule broadens and clarifies whistleblower protections for

Yesterday a significant expansion of whistleblower protections for employees of federal contractors and subcontractors took effect.  The National Defense Authorization Act for 2013 (“NDAA”) extended whistleblower protections to an employee of a “contractor, subcontractor, or grantee” who makes a claim of gross mismanagement, gross waste, abuse of authority, a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or a violation of a law, rule, or regulation related to a federal contract.  These protections do not apply to a disclosure related to an “element of the intelligence community” under the National Security Act of 1984.