National Security Law Today

AI, quantum computing, and cyber capabilities are redefining what national security threats look like. This week, Elisa is joined by Rob Joyce, former Director of the NSA’s Cybersecurity Directorate, for a conversation on how emerging technologies are altering both the threat landscape and the national security response. Drawing on Joyce’s 34-year career at the National Security Agency, the episod...

The Department of Justice’s National Security Division marks 20 years at the center of the federal government’s national security mission. This week, we're featuring a recent live discussion hosted by the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security, “DOJ National Security Division 20th Year Anniversary: A Discussion with Former Assistant Attorneys General for National Security.” Moderated...

The new Iran memorandum is raising old questions about war powers, diplomacy, and congressional oversight. This week, Elisa is joined by Brian Egan, current partner at Skadden and former State Department Legal Adviser and Deputy White House Counsel, to examine the Trump administration’s 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran and how it compares to the JCPOA. Together, they break down what...

FISA 702 is back at the center of the national security debate. This week, Elisa is joined by Glenn Gerstell, senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former General Counsel of the National Security Agency, to break down what FISA Section 702 does, what happened when it lapsed, and what could be at stake if Congress fails to act. Later, Elisa walks through several d...

A new AI executive order is raising big questions about innovation, security, and government oversight. This week, Elisa speaks with Josh Geltzer, Partner at WilmerHale and former Deputy White House Counsel and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, about the Trump administration’s new framework for securing frontier AI models before they reach the public. Together, they explore what volu...

Project Maven stands as one of the earliest and most consequential efforts to bring AI into military operations. This week, Elisa sits down with Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, former Director of the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and founding Director of Project Maven, to explore how AI entered the battlefield and why it became a strategic priority for the U.S. military. Tog...

This week, we revisit Elisa’s conversation with Margaret Hu, Professor of Law at William & Mary, and Davi Ottenheimer, Vice President of Trust and Digital Ethics at Inrupt, to examine the vulnerabilities embedded in our digital footprints. Together, they discuss microtargeting, the exploitation of personal data, and how a stronger federal data privacy framework could better protect individuals...

AI and the modern information ecosystem are making reality harder to verify, and easier to weaponize. This week, Elisa Poteat is joined by Gary Corn, Program Director and Adjunct Professor of Technology, Law and Security at American University Washington College of Law, to discuss his recent article, “ Cognitive Warfare: Generative AI, False Realities, and International Humanitarian Law. ” Togethe...

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in government and national security systems, one question grows harder to ignore: can these tools actually be secured? This week, Elisa is joined by Disesdi Shoshana Cox, CEO and Head of Research at Bermuda Hundred Strategies, to examine the cybersecurity risks behind AI integration. Together, they discuss whether AI models can be corrected after harmful inputs,...

AI is unlocking new speed and power in biological research, creating opportunities for medical breakthroughs while raising new questions about oversight. This week, Elisa sits down with Doni Bloomfield, Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University, to discuss his recent report, Biological Data Governance in an Age of AI , and the growing risks of training AI models on sensitive viral and genet...

As artificial intelligence accelerates, questions about its origins—and underlying assumptions—are becoming harder to ignore. This week, Elisa sits down with filmmaker Valerie Veatch to explore her latest documentary, Ghost in the Machine , which traces the intellectual roots of AI back to the eugenics movement. Together, they examine how these early ideologies may still echo in today’s AI systems...

When cyberattacks target hospitals, infrastructure, and everyday systems, the line between battlefield and civilian life begins to blur. This week, Elisa is joined by Ricoh Danielson, a cybersecurity expert, U.S. Army veteran, and CEO of 1st Responder Cyber, to unpack Iran’s expanding cyber operations and what they reveal about modern warfare. Drawing on recent attacks and long-standing tactics, t...

What happens when weapons that cost a few thousand dollars can rival—and even outmaneuver—systems worth millions? This week, Elisa is joined by Dawn Zoldi, a retired Air Force Colonel, attorney, and founder of P3 Tech Consulting, to break down the rapid rise of drone warfare and its growing impact on global conflict. Drawing on examples from Ukraine, Iran, and across the Middle East, they explore...

A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has paused active hostilities—but major questions remain about what comes next. This week, we feature a recent live panel discussion, “ Assessing the War with Iran: Military Policy and Legal Perspectives ,” co-hosted by the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security and Syracuse University’s Institute for Security Policy and Law. Mode...

As the conflict with Iran evolves, cyber capabilities are proving just as consequential as traditional military force. This week, Elisa sits down with Matt Suiche, founder of OnDB and a former hacker, to examine how cyber operations shape intelligence gathering, targeting, and real-time decision-making in modern conflict. Together, they explore the vulnerabilities of AI systems, the physical risks...

As tensions in the Strait of Hormuz disrupt global markets, they reflect a broader set of unconventional strategies Iran has deployed for decades. This week, Elisa sits down with Alamdar Hamdani, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas and current partner at Bracewell, to examine how Iran leverages asymmetric tactics—from cyber operations and proxy forces to sanctions evasion and m...

As tensions with Iran persist, the issue of wrongful detention remains a critical but often overlooked national security concern. This week, Elisa sits down with Kieran Ramsey, former Director of the FBI’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and current Chief Investigative Officer at Global Reach, to examine how countries like Iran use arbitrary detention—and how these cases are tracked and challenged on...

Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war has become a slow-moving conflict defined by massive losses and limited gains on the battlefield. This week, Elisa sits down with Seth Jones, President of the Defense and Security Department and Harold Brown Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to discuss findings from his latest report, Russia’s Grinding War: Massive Lo...

A standoff between the Pentagon and one of the world’s leading AI companies is raising new questions about the limits of government authority. This week, Elisa sits down with Alan Rozenshtein, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and Research Director at Lawfare, to unpack the dispute between the Department of War and Anthropic over the use of advanced AI tools. Together, they...

As tensions rise and the United States surges military assets into the Middle East, a critical question emerges: what happens to a nuclear program if a government collapses? This week, Elisa sits down with David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, to assess the risks surrounding Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the consequences of regime instability. Drawing o...

This week, we revisit a foundational conversation on the Insurrection Act, originally recorded in June 2020 with William Banks and Harvey Rishikof. Together, they trace the Act’s history, unpack the scope of presidential authority it confers, explain how it may be invoked, and examine the constitutional principles that should guide its use. William Banks is former Chair of the Standing Committee o...

In this News Roundup, Elisa unpacks the latest AI-driven developments making headlines—from Chinese financing across U.S. energy and data infrastructure to emerging battlefield AI systems and early research raising concerns about AI-generated pathogens. She also examines evolving strategies for powering data centers, the strategic implications of a potential SpaceX–xAI alignment, and how Anthropic...

America’s relationship with Venezuela has long been shaped by power, politics, and law, often in uneasy combinations. This week, Elisa Poteat is joined by Brian Egan, partner at Skadden and former State Department Legal Adviser, to examine the legal foundations of U.S. engagement with Venezuela, from maritime interdictions and sanctions to questions of war powers and executive authority. Drawing o...

As AI becomes central to national security, alignment itself may introduce new risks. This week, Elisa Poteat is joined by Dr. Michael Vaiana, Research Director at AE Studio, to examine how AI alignment, model testing, and system integration shape both defensive and offensive security capabilities. Together, they explore red teaming, data poisoning, under-researched risks, and what policymakers ne...

In Part 2 of their discussion, Elisa Poteat and Josh Geltzer look beyond the NDAA to explore how executive authority, outbound investment restrictions, and state-level efforts are shaping the evolving framework for AI regulation and national security. Joshua Geltzer is a Partner at WilmerHale, focusing on artificial intelligence, CFIUS, crisis management, cybersecurity and national security-relate...