National Security Law Today

<p>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 <em>Navigating Technology and National Security</em>, 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. </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.justinwsherman.com/">Justin Sherman</a> is the founder and CEO of Global Cyber Strategies, a Washington, DC-based research and advisory firm.</p><p><em>References:</em></p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/navigating-technology-and-national-security-justin-sherman/1147998656">Sherman, Justin. <em>Navigating Technology and National Security: The Intersection of CFIUS, Team Telecom, AI Controls, and Other Regulations</em>. Wiley, 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/pulling-back-the-curtain-on-chinas-military-civil-fusion/">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</a></li></ul>

<p>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 <em>35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference</em>: “The AI Arms Race and National Security Law.” Moderated by Margaret Hu, Professor of Law and Director of Digital Democracy Law at William &amp; 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.</p><p>Moderated by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://law2.wm.edu/faculty/bios/fulltime/mhu05.php">Margaret Hu</a>, the Davison M. Douglas Professor of Law Director, Digital Democracy Law, William &amp; Mary Law School<em>Featured</em></p><p><em>Panelists:</em></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.jenner.com/en/people/aaron-r-cooper">Aaron Cooper</a>, Partner &amp; Founding Co-Chair, Critical &amp; Emerging Technologies Practice, Jenner &amp; Block LLP</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.cfr.org/expert/kat-duffy">Kat Duffy</a>, Senior Fellow for Digital and Cyberspace Policy, Council on Foreign Relations</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ridgelineag.com/our-team/">Joshua Hodges</a>, Partner, Ridgeline Advocacy Group</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l7rz-8WLiXUJOwx7p8ypCuuQzFKiHUsR/view?usp=sharing">Will Hudson</a>, Associate General Counsel, Anthropic</p><p></p><p><em>References:</em></p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_national_security/events_cle/35th-annual-review-of-the-field-of-national-security-law-conference-cle-materials/"><strong>CLE Materials</strong> from the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_national_security/events_cle/35th-annual-review-of-the-field-of-national-security-law-conference1/audio-recordings-35th-annual-review-of-the-field-of-national-security-law-conference/"><strong>Audio Recordings</strong> from the 35th Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law Conference</a></li></ul>

<p>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.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ainowinstitute.org/contributor/sarah-myers-west">Sarah Meyers West</a> is Co-Executive Director of the AI Now Institute</p><p><em>References:</em></p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ainowinstitute.org/">The AI Now Institute</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/you-may-already-be-bailing-out-the-ai-business-dd67d452">Op Ed: Sarah Meyers West and Amba Kak, You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business. The Wall Street Journal. Nov 12, 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/accelerating-federal-permitting-of-data-center-infrastructure/">EO on Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/promoting-the-export-of-the-american-ai-technology-stack/">EO on Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-administration-executive-order-regulating-state-ai-laws-rcna244890">NBC: "Trump administration drafts an executive order to challenge state AI laws." Jared Perlo. Nov. 19th 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/big-tech-is-spending-more-than-ever-on-ai-and-its-still-not-enough-f2398cfe?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfGYAw9Ff90S9PNcvMXou6F4Jr2z274CamMqjE8kU-YlDsXfhzxeSO7SR92D3k%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69306ec6&amp;gaa_sig=DRgC45cfWrb4-k8qvBRr_LtCjvNVqcvP4bT-hjJiz3Md_ZVJS9HrwuZ7wTnUvWyv7y5Sx9cCxAi3Mwcds9o5Kg%3D%3D">WSJ: "Big Tech Is Spending More Than Ever on AI and It’s Still Not Enough." Megan Bobrowsky. Oct. 30th 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bain.com/about/media-center/press-releases/20252/$2-trillion-in-new-revenue-needed-to-fund-ais-scaling-trend---bain--companys-6th-annual-global-technology-report/">Bain &amp; Company: "$2 trillion in new revenue needed to fund AI’s scaling trend." Sep 23rd, 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/technology/david-sacks-white-house-profits.html">NYT: "Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends." Nov. 30 2025</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/24/remarks-by-apnsa-jake-sullivan-on-ai-and-national-security/">The White House Archives: "Remarks by APNSA Jake Sullivan on AI and National Security." The National Defense University. Oct 24 2024.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3939/text">RISE Act</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/national-security-law-today/id1276946676?i=1000718668068">NSLT Ep. 380, "Where Energy Policy Is Headed Next with Tyler O’Connor (Part 1)" July 23 2025.</a></li></ul>

<p>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 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/27v4xxenpo8wotkw1238e/rao-jmp.pdf?rlkey=x8rg0slqo9mwfhdlbqgftaw4b&amp;e=3&amp;dl=0"><em>The Business of the Culture War</em></a>, 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.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/toohzkqs3mj7p26d117el/rao-cv.pdf?rlkey=jyqujefdgva4bppgzbshg4glt&amp;e=1&amp;dl=0">Aakaash Rao</a> is a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at Harvard University</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://shakkednoy.com/cv.pdf">Shakked Noy</a> is a Ph.D student in Economics at MIT</p><p></p><p><em>References:</em> </p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/27v4xxenpo8wotkw1238e/rao-jmp.pdf?rlkey=x8rg0slqo9mwfhdlbqgftaw4b&amp;e=2&amp;dl=0">Rao, Aakaash, and Shakked Noy. <em>The Business of the Culture War.</em> Job Market Paper, Harvard University, 2025.</a> </li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/national-security-law-today/id1276946676?i=1000578056546">NSLT, Ep. 229, <em>Broken News and the Media Rage Machine with Chris Stirewalt</em></a> </li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/topic-guide/fairness-doctrine">The Fairness Doctrine Overview</a></li></ul>

<p>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.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/kenneth-p-vogel">Kenneth P. Vogel</a> is a reporter based in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, investigating the intersection of money, politics and influence.</p><p>References:</p><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/devils-advocates-kenneth-p-vogel?variant=43110856097826">Vogel, Kenneth P. <em>Devils’ Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests.</em> William Morrow, 2025.</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF11439/IF11439.2.pdf">Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Overview</a></li></ul>