As Counsel in Fluet’s Government Contracts and International Trade Practices, Matthew P. Thrasher draws upon his extensive experience at the highest levels of the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and his military service to provide clients with strategic advice on geopolitical risk and practical legal counsel on the most complex national security legal matters. Mr. Thrasher leads the firm’s Classified Contracting and Cybersecurity sections.

With nearly two decades of experience spanning the military, government legal service, and strategic dealmaking, he provides sophisticated guidance on matters requiring both active security clearance eligibility and deep governmental expertise. As Deputy Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, Mr. Thrasher served as legal counsel and lead negotiator on multi-billion-dollar international deals alongside Cabinet Secretaries and senior White House officials. He has provided expert legal guidance on Executive Orders, sanctions, military operations, cybersecurity issues, sanctions regimes, and critical mineral procurement and supply chain issues. During nearly nine years as a senior attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the Department of Defense, including periods as the Acting Deputy General Counsel for International Affairs, Mr. Thrasher negotiated dozens of international agreements and helped navigate the Department of Defense’s implementation of GDPR compliance measures and cloud operational activities, managing complex data sovereignty and transfer issues globally. He has experience briefing Members of Congress on sensitive national security matters and helping to resolve complex diplomatic disputes, including many sensitive negotiations and issues involving sanctions compliance.

Mr. Thrasher counsels clients on navigating rapidly changing geopolitical situations and the intricate regulatory landscape of classified defense contracting and cybersecurity, including SAP compliance, facility clearance requirements, FOCI mitigation, CMMC certification, and DFARS cybersecurity obligations. He also supports firm clients’ M&A activity with classified due diligence support, and helps protect clients facing government enforcement activities by leveraging his deep understanding of interagency policy making, current and emerging regulatory requirements, and enforcement priorities to deliver practical solutions to complex national security and business challenges.

Before his civilian legal career, Mr. Thrasher served as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer, including as Chief Engineer aboard USS Lake Erie (CG 70) and Officer in Charge of a coastal small boat detachment on independent deployments. He later served as a Navy Judge Advocate in various roles. His military leadership experience—commanding sailors in operational environments and managing complex engineering systems aboard a ballistic missile defense platform—provides clients with operational credibility and crisis-tested judgment under pressure.

Originally from Ohio, Mr. Thrasher lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two children. In his free time, you can find him working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, watching the Ohio State Buckeyes, and spending time with his family.

*Matthew P. Thrasher is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.