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, they walk through new assessment frameworks and workforce initiatives: what Congress included, what it left out, and what that reveals about how AI is taking shape inside the national security apparatus.

Joshua Geltzer is a Partner at WilmerHale, focusing on artificial intelligence, CFIUS, crisis management, cybersecurity and national security-related litigation.

References:

• The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (Full Text)
• Geltzer, Joshua A., et al. “What the NDAA Means for AI and Cybersecurity.” WilmerHale, 19 Dec. 2025
• California SB-53 – Artificial intelligence models: large developers (Full Text)
• Geltzer, Joshua A., et al.“Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence: Act SB-53 California Requires New Standardized AI Safety Disclosures.” WilmerHale Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Blog, 1 Oct. 2025

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 ecosystem—and what it will take to sustain military advantage. Following opening remarks by Erik Swabb, moderator Mackenzie Eaglen joins Christian Brose for a wide-ranging discussion on acquisition reform, re-industrialization, the role of private capital, and the evolving dynamics of strategic competition.

Keynote remarks by Christian Brose, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Anduril Industries

Moderated byMackenzie Eaglen, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute

Introductions by Erik Swabb, Partner at WilmerHale

References:

• Book: Brose, Christian. The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare. Grand Central Publishing, 2020.
• Audio Recordings from the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference

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. Using a provocative hypothetical, they explore the role of export controls, CFIUS, outbound investment screening, and bulk data regulations—and what happens when companies push right up against the boundaries of oversight.

Justin Sherman is the founder and CEO of Global Cyber Strategies, a Washington, DC-based research and advisory firm.

References:

• Sherman, Justin. Navigating Technology and National Security: The Intersection of CFIUS, Team Telecom, AI Controls, and Other Regulations. Wiley, 2025.
• McFaul, Cole, Sam Bresnick, and Daniel Chou. Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Military-Civil Fusion: How the PLA Mobilizes Civilian AI for Strategic Advantage. Center for Security and Emerging Technology, September 2025. CSET

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 examines how AI is transforming military strategy, cyber operations, and global power competition. Featuring four leading experts in emerging technology, the discussion explores the legal and ethical guardrails needed for autonomous systems, the private sector’s growing role in national defense, and the geopolitical stakes of an AI-driven future.

Moderated by Margaret Hu, the Davison M. Douglas Professor of Law Director, Digital Democracy Law, William & Mary Law SchoolFeatured

Panelists:

Aaron Cooper, Partner & Founding Co-Chair, Critical & Emerging Technologies Practice, Jenner & Block LLP

Kat Duffy, Senior Fellow for Digital and Cyberspace Policy, Council on Foreign Relations

Joshua Hodges, Partner, Ridgeline Advocacy Group

Will Hudson, Associate General Counsel, Anthropic

References:

• CLE Materials from the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference
• Audio Recordings from the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference

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, cloud providers, and AI developers, explore why growth projections outpace real-world demand, and unpack how national security narratives are being used to justify unchecked expansion.

Sarah Meyers West is Co-Executive Director of the AI Now Institute

References:

• The AI Now Institute
• Op Ed: Sarah Meyers West and Amba Kak, You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business. The Wall Street Journal. Nov 12, 2025.
• EO on Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure
• EO on Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack
• NBC: "Trump administration drafts an executive order to challenge state AI laws." Jared Perlo. Nov. 19th 2025.
• WSJ: "Big Tech Is Spending More Than Ever on AI and It’s Still Not Enough." Megan Bobrowsky. Oct. 30th 2025.
• Bain & Company: "$2 trillion in new revenue needed to fund AI’s scaling trend." Sep 23rd, 2025.
• NYT: "Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends." Nov. 30 2025
• The White House Archives: "Remarks by APNSA Jake Sullivan on AI and National Security." The National Defense University. Oct 24 2024.
• RISE Act
• NSLT Ep. 380, "Where Energy Policy Is Headed Next with Tyler O’Connor (Part 1)" July 23 2025.

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 learned to mobilize viewers through cultural identity issues, what survey data reveals about a dramatic realignment in voter priorities, and why these trends pose urgent questions for policymakers and the future of American democracy.

Aakaash Rao is a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at Harvard University

Shakked Noy is a Ph.D student in Economics at MIT

References:

• Rao, Aakaash, and Shakked Noy. The Business of the Culture War. Job Market Paper, Harvard University, 2025.
• NSLT, Ep. 229, Broken News and the Media Rage Machine with Chris Stirewalt
• The Fairness Doctrine Overview

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 lines. Drawing on history behind the Foreign Agents Registration Act and modern examples of access-brokers operating in plain sight, Vogel exposes the incentives, vulnerabilities, and national-security risks that allow foreign money and influence to move through Washington, often away from public view but never without consequences.

Kenneth P. Vogel is a reporter based in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, investigating the intersection of money, politics and influence.

References:

• Vogel, Kenneth P. Devils’ Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests. William Morrow, 2025.
• Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Overview

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 innovation. Together, they examine AI’s influence on justice, bias, and national security, the responsibility of major tech companies, and what it will take to prepare the next generation of lawyers for an AI-driven world.

Roy Austin is the inaugural director of the Howard Law Artificial Intelligence Initiative, a groundbreaking initiative focused on ethical AI innovation and civil rights law.

References:

• White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable. Expanding Access to Justice, Strengthening Federal Programs: First Annual Report of the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable. November 2016.
• Horwitz, Jeff. “Meta’s AI Rules Have Let Bots Hold ‘Sensual’ Chats with Kids, Offer False Medical Info.” Reuters, 14 Aug. 2025
• FISA Section 230
• Doe v. Meta Platforms, Inc. U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal., No. 23-cv-420095, Opinion filed Oct. 17, 2025.

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 companies.

This re-air comes ahead of the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law CLE Conference, taking place November 13–14 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. With the theme “Technology, National Security, and the Law: Keeping Pace with Innovation,” the conference will feature two days of expert discussions on how emerging technologies are reshaping national security.

Karen Hao is a bestselling author and award-winning reporter covering artificial intelligence.

References:

• Register Now! The 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law CLE Conference, November 13–14, 2025, with an opening reception on November 12.
• Agenda: The 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law CLE Conference
• Hao, Karen. Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. Penguin Press, 2025
• Section 230 Overview

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 conversation around tariffs, and how economic challenges are shaping the outlook for younger Americans. She wraps up with a preview of the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law CLE Conference—where top experts will unpack the intersection of technology, innovation, and national security law.

References:

Register Now! The 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law CLE Conference, November 13–14, 2025, with an opening reception on November 12. Register before November 1 for early bird rates.