National Security Law Today

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...

The latest National Defense Authorization Act marks a concrete step in how the Department of Defense is beginning to define, assess, and manage the use of artificial intelligence across its operations. This week, Elisa Poteat is joined by Josh Geltzer, partner at WilmerHale and former Deputy Assistant to the President, to break down what the NDAA outlines when it comes to AI governance. Together,...

The year ahead points to a new era of technology-driven defense. This week, we share a keynote address from the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law CLE Conference titled “Arms, AI, and the Future of Defense.” Christian Brose, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Anduril Industries, examines how AI, autonomous systems, and commercial innovation are reshaping the defense ecos...

A handful of tech billionaires now wield outsized influence over the U.S. economy—and increasingly, over national security itself. This week, Elisa sits down with Justin Sherman, founder and CEO of Global Cyber Strategies and author of Navigating Technology and National Security , to unpack how advanced AI systems, high-powered chips, and global investment flows collide with U.S. security law. Usi...

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the security landscape faster than policy can keep pace. This week, we bring you a special episode recorded live at the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference : “The AI Arms Race and National Security Law.” Moderated by Margaret Hu, Professor of Law and Director of Digital Democracy Law at William & Mary Law School, the panel ex...

What happens when an innovation boom starts to look like a financial bubble? This week, Elisa sits down with Sarah Myers West of the AI Now Institute to examine the mounting evidence that America’s most influential AI firms may be overvalued, overleveraged, and quietly expecting government rescue if profits don’t materialize. Together, they trace the circular flow of investment between chipmakers,...

Polarization isn’t just a political outcome—it’s an industry. This week, Elisa welcomes Aakaash Rao and Shakked Noy, economists from MIT and Harvard and co-authors of The Business of the Culture War , to explore how shifts in the media business model—from the collapse of local newspapers to the rise of cable news—created powerful incentives to divide audiences. Together, they unpack how networks l...

Washington’s influence economy is bigger—and murkier—than most Americans realize. This week, Elisa sits down with investigative reporter Kenneth P. Vogel to unpack the sprawling web of foreign lobbying revealed in his new book, Devil’s Advocate, tracing how powerful insiders—from Rudy Giuliani to Hunter Biden—became entangled with corrupt foreign interests and why these relationships blur partisan...

AI is learning from us—but what happens when the data it’s fed carries our deepest biases? This week, Elisa Poteat sits down with Roy Austin, inaugural director of Howard Law School’s Artificial Intelligence Initiative and former Deputy Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity in the Obama White House, to discuss how law and ethics can keep pace with accelerating innov...

As artificial intelligence accelerates, questions about power, privacy, and accountability are more urgent than ever. This week, we revisit our conversation with bestselling author and award-winning AI reporter Karen Hao, whose book Empire of AI reveals how ambition and competition transformed OpenAI from a mission-driven nonprofit into one of the world’s most powerful—and controversial—tech compa...

This week, Elisa breaks down the latest headlines in national security law as the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week. From Russia’s attacks on eastern Ukraine to the growing energy needs of artificial intelligence, she connects how today’s developments are shaping policy and security. Elisa also covers the recent U.S. military plane crashes in the South China Sea, the evolving conv...

The Standing Committee’s 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law is almost here. This week, Elisa sits down with Standing Committee Chair Stephen Preston to highlight what’s ahead at this year’s conference—taking place November 13–14 in Washington, DC. From keynotes on artificial intelligence and defense innovation to panels exploring ethics, cybersecurity, and private sector enga...

Once envisioned as a nonprofit dedicated to advancing AI for the benefit of humanity, OpenAI has since become one of the most powerful—and controversial—companies in the world. This week, Elisa Poteat sits down with Karen Hao, author of Empire AI , to examine how ambition, secrecy, and competition reshaped the organization’s mission. From the erosion of trust and safety standards to the looming en...

With hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed, the consequences of another government shutdown are hitting home. This week, Elisa is joined by Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, to break down how shutdowns became a political tool—and what they cost the American people. Alongside guest host Harvey Rishikof, they discuss the essential vs. nonessential wo...

Can a sanctions law be used to set trade policy? In this episode, Elisa sits down with Rachel Alpert, former OFAC Chief Counsel and now a Partner at Jenner & Block, to explore how the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) has evolved—and why its use to justify tariffs is drawing scrutiny. Together, they trace the law’s origins, examine the traditional role of OFAC, and discuss th...