diff --git a/features/fedramp_extensions.feature b/features/fedramp_extensions.feature
index 9c6bbcbd4..d7743320b 100644
--- a/features/fedramp_extensions.feature
+++ b/features/fedramp_extensions.feature
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ Examples:
   | inventory-item-has-scan-type |
   | inventory-item-has-valid-mac-address |
   | inventory-item-has-vendor-name |
+  | inventory-item-not-system-or-validation |
   | inventory-item-or-component-has-asset-id |
   | inventory-item-or-component-has-virtual |
   | inventory-item-public |
@@ -415,6 +416,8 @@ Examples:
   | inventory-item-has-valid-mac-address-PASS.yaml |
   | inventory-item-has-vendor-name-FAIL.yaml |
   | inventory-item-has-vendor-name-PASS.yaml |
+  | inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-FAIL.yaml |
+  | inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-PASS.yaml |
   | inventory-item-or-component-has-asset-id-FAIL.yaml |
   | inventory-item-or-component-has-asset-id-PASS.yaml |
   | inventory-item-public-FAIL.yaml |
diff --git a/src/validations/constraints/content/ssp-inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-INVALID.xml b/src/validations/constraints/content/ssp-inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-INVALID.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cf968adb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/validations/constraints/content/ssp-inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-INVALID.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<system-security-plan xmlns="http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal/1.0" uuid="11111111-2222-4000-8000-000000000000">
+  <system-implementation>
+    <!-- Component type shouldn't be "system" or "validation". -->
+    <component uuid="11111111-2222-4000-8000-009000500006" type="system">
+    </component>
+    <inventory-item uuid="11111111-2222-4000-8000-011000000001">
+      <implemented-component component-uuid="11111111-2222-4000-8000-009000500006">
+      </implemented-component>
+    </inventory-item>
+  </system-implementation>
+</system-security-plan>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml b/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml
index 7bb6bc5fe..2c3fff23d 100644
--- a/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml
+++ b/src/validations/constraints/fedramp-external-constraints.xml
@@ -746,6 +746,11 @@
                 <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/5-attachments/#system-inventory-approach"/>
                 <message>In a FedRAMP SSP, each inventory item MUST include the vendor name in the inventory item itself or within the linked component.</message>
             </expect>
+            <expect id="inventory-item-not-system-or-validation" target="." test="not(../component[@uuid=$component-uuid]/@type=('system','validation'))" level="ERROR">
+                <formal-name>Inventory Item Not System or Validation</formal-name>
+                <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/5-attachments/#system-inventory-approach"/>
+                <message>In a FedRAMP SSP, an inventory item MUST NOT reference a "system" or "validation" component.</message>
+            </expect>
             <expect id="inventory-item-or-component-has-virtual" target="." test="count(prop[@name='virtual']) = 1 or count(../component[@uuid=$component-uuid]/prop[@name='virtual']) = 1" level="ERROR">
                 <formal-name>Inventory Item or Component Has Virtual</formal-name>
                 <prop namespace="https://docs.oasis-open.org/sarif/sarif/v2.1.0" name="help-url" value="https://automate.fedramp.gov/documentation/ssp/5-attachments/#system-inventory-approach"/>
diff --git a/src/validations/constraints/unit-tests/inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-FAIL.yaml b/src/validations/constraints/unit-tests/inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-FAIL.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e276ca2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/validations/constraints/unit-tests/inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-FAIL.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+test-case:
+  name: Negative Test for inventory-item-not-system-or-validation
+  description: >-
+    This test case validates the behavior of constraint
+    inventory-item-not-system-or-validation
+  content: ../content/ssp-inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-INVALID.xml
+  expectations:
+    - constraint-id: inventory-item-not-system-or-validation
+      result: fail
diff --git a/src/validations/constraints/unit-tests/inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-PASS.yaml b/src/validations/constraints/unit-tests/inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-PASS.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f47fc23a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/validations/constraints/unit-tests/inventory-item-not-system-or-validation-PASS.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+test-case:
+  name: Positive Test for inventory-item-not-system-or-validation
+  description: >-
+    This test case validates the behavior of constraint
+    inventory-item-not-system-or-validation
+  content: ../../../content/rev5/examples/ssp/xml/fedramp-ssp-example.oscal.xml
+  expectations:
+    - constraint-id: inventory-item-not-system-or-validation
+      result: pass