diff --git a/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-allowed-values.xml b/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-allowed-values.xml
index c92f705ec..1001e3b08 100644
--- a/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-allowed-values.xml
+++ b/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-allowed-values.xml
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@
                 <enum value="other">Other</enum>
             </allowed-values>
 
-            <allowed-values id="user-authentication" target="//component[(@type='system' and ./prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type='service' and not(./prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and ./prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type='service' and ./prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and ./prop[@name='direction']) or (@type='software' and ./prop[@name='asset-type' and @value='cli'] and ./prop[@name='direction'])]/prop[@ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal' and @name='authentication-method']/@value" allow-other="no" level="ERROR">
+            <allowed-values id="user-authentication" target="system-implementation/component/prop[@name='authentication-method' and @ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal']/@value" allow-other="no" level="ERROR">
                 <formal-name>User Authentication</formal-name>
                 <description>Identifies if user authentication is required.</description>
                 <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/4-ssp-template-to-oscal-mapping/#leveraged-fedramp-authorized-services"/>
diff --git a/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml b/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml
index 98f022bac..1d998edee 100644
--- a/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml
+++ b/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml
@@ -57,20 +57,20 @@
                 else if (system-characteristics/security-sensitivity-level = 'fips-199-moderate')
                     then ('fips-199-moderate', 'fips-199-high')
                 else ('fips-199-low', 'fips-199-moderate', 'fips-199-high')"/>
-            <let var="non-authorized-components" expression="system-implementation/component[(@type='system' and prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type='service' and not(prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type='service' and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and prop[@name='direction']) or (@type='software' and prop[@name='asset-type' and @value='cli'] and prop[@name='direction'])]"/>
+            <let var="non-authorized-components" expression="//component[(@type='system' and prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type=('service', 'software') and not(prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and  prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or  (@type=('service', 'software') and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and prop[@name='communicates-externally' and @value='yes' and @ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal'])]"/>
             <let var="system-implementation-users" expression="system-implementation/user"/>
             <let var="non-provider-user-has-function-performed" expression="count($system-implementation-users[@uuid = $non-authorized-components/responsible-role/prop[@name='privilege-uuid' and @ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal']/@value]/authorized-privilege/function-performed) >= 1"/>
-            <expect id="component-has-authentication-method" target="//component[(@type='system' and ./prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type='service' and not(./prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and ./prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type='service' and ./prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and ./prop[@name='direction']) or (@type='software' and ./prop[@name='asset-type' and @value='cli'] and ./prop[@name='direction'])]" test="count(prop[@ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal' and @name='authentication-method']) >= 1" level="ERROR">
+            <expect id="component-has-authentication-method" target="//component[(@type='system' and prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type=('service', 'software') and not(prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and  prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type=('service', 'software') and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and prop[@name='communicates-externally' and @value='yes' and @ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal'])]" test="count(prop[@ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal' and @name='authentication-method']) >= 1" level="ERROR">
                 <formal-name>Component Has Authentication Method</formal-name>
                 <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/4-ssp-template-to-oscal-mapping/#leveraged-fedramp-authorized-services"/>
                 <message>A FedRAMP SSP MUST include at least one authentication method for each leveraged system.</message>
             </expect>
-            <expect id="component-has-non-provider-responsible-role" target="//component[(@type='system' and prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type='service' and not(prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type='service' and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and prop[@name='direction']) or (@type='software' and prop[@name='asset-type' and @value='cli'] and prop[@name='direction'])]" test="count(responsible-role[not(@role-id='provider')]) >= 1" level="ERROR">
+            <expect id="component-has-non-provider-responsible-role" target="//component[(@type='system' and prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type=('service', 'software') and not(prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and  prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or  (@type=('service', 'software') and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and prop[@name='communicates-externally' and @value='yes' and @ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal'])]" test="count(responsible-role[not(@role-id='provider')]) >= 1" level="ERROR">
                 <formal-name>Component Has Non-Provider Responsible Role</formal-name>
                 <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/4-ssp-template-to-oscal-mapping/#external-systems-and-services-not-having-fedramp-authorization"/>
                 <message>A FedRAMP SSP MUST have each component describing leveraged systems, interconnections, or authorized services identify at least one responsible role other than "provider".</message>
             </expect>
-            <expect id="component-has-provider-responsible-role" target="//component[(@type='system' and ./prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type='service' and not(./prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and ./prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type='service' and ./prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and ./prop[@name='direction']) or (@type='software' and ./prop[@name='asset-type' and @value='cli'] and ./prop[@name='direction'])]" test="count(responsible-role[@role-id='provider']/party-uuid) = 1" level="ERROR">
+            <expect id="component-has-provider-responsible-role" target="//component[(@type='system' and prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) or (@type=('service', 'software') and not(prop[@name='leveraged-authorization-uuid']) and  prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='external']) or (@type='interconnection') or (@type=('service', 'software') and prop[@name='implementation-point' and @value='internal'] and prop[@name='communicates-externally' and @value='yes' and @ns='https://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal'])]" test="count(responsible-role[@role-id='provider']/party-uuid) = 1" level="ERROR">
                 <formal-name>Component Has Provider Responsible Role</formal-name>
                 <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/4-ssp-template-to-oscal-mapping/#external-systems-and-services-not-having-fedramp-authorization"/>
                 <message>A FedRAMP SSP MUST have each component describing leveraged systems, interconnections, or authorized services identify a "provider" role that references one responsible party.</message>