NatSec EmTech

Hosted by Professor Laura K. Donohue, NatSec EmTech explores how emerging technologies—from cyberspace and artificial intelligence to outer space—are reshaping national security, law, and global power. Through conversations with leading experts in the field, the podcast examines not just what’s coming, but who governs, controls, and is impacted by the technologies defining our future.

Every episode is a journey into the places where we have never been – from space law frontiers to artificial intelligence dilemmas, from cryptocurrency breakdowns to bioengineering breakthroughs, from the stories of ambition and power to the people quietly shaping the future. This is not science fiction. It is our future.

Featured Podcasts

The Codes Behind the Coin, Part 2

With Alan Cohn, Partner at Steptoe LLP

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How do we understand the regulation of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies through the lens of the national security?

This episode of NatSec EmTech continues the conversation with Alan Cohn, Chair of the Financial Innovation and Regulation Practice at Steptoe, by examining the complex legal and regulatory framework governing cryptocurrencies and digital assets. The discussion explores how anti-money laundering (AML) rules, sanctions, and know-your-customer (KYC) requirements apply to blockchain-based financial systems, explaining why cryptocurrency presents both unique challenges and unique investigative advantages. Alan describes how blockchain analytics allow law enforcement to trace transactions, identify patterns of illicit activity, and follow the provenance of funds, making cryptocurrencies fundamentally different, and not necessarily more anonymous, than traditional financial systems.

The conversation also continues to explore the evolving regulatory landscape in the United States, including the roles of the SEC, CFTC, state regulators, and Congress in determining how digital assets should be classified and governed. Alan explains the ongoing debate over whether cryptocurrencies should be treated as securities or commodities, the shift away from "regulation by enforcement" toward clearer legislative frameworks, and the impact of recent proposals on the future of the industry. Finally, Professor Donohue and Mr. Cohn look at cryptocurrency through a national security lens, discussing ransomware, nation-state cyberattacks, sanctions enforcement, and how governments are adapting their regulatory and investigative tools to address emerging threats while fostering innovation.

Listen to the episode on your preferred platform below:

Latest Podcasts

The Codes Behind the Coin, Part 1

With Alan Cohn, Partner at Steptoe LLP

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How do we understand the technical background of cryptocurrencies and blockchain through the lens of the law?

This episode of NatSec EmTech is the first of a two-part conversation with Alan Cohn, Chair of the Financial Innovation and Regulation Practice at Steptoe, exploring the fundamentals of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Alan explains how cryptocurrencies were designed to solve key challenges in traditional financial systems, breaking down how blockchain's distributed ledger functions, how Bitcoin mining works, and the fundamental differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum. Along the way, he demystifies concepts such as smart contracts, oracles, and decentralization, while examining why Bitcoin has remained the most widely recognized and resilient cryptocurrency despite years of technical, financial, and political scrutiny.

The conversation also explores the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape surrounding cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Alan discusses the growing tension between the original vision of decentralized finance and its increasing adoption by mainstream financial institutions, while explaining how governments, regulators, and the banking industry are adapting to this transformative technology.

Listen to the episode on your preferred platform below:

The Woomera Manual: Mapping the Rules of Military Space Operations

With Professor David Koplow, Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law at Georgetown Law

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Is today's legal framework, based primarily on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, equipped to govern modern space exploration?

This Episode of NatSec EmTech explores the rapidly evolving field of space law through a conversation with Professor David Koplow, the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law here at GULC, and a co-editor of the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities.

Professor Koplow argues that the treaty's core principles remain sound, but are no longer sufficient, leaving major legal grey areas around lunar settlements, resource extraction, private companies like SpaceX, and the increasing role of commercial actors. In his opinion, humanity is not facing a lawless frontier in space, but rather a law-deficient one that urgently requires more detailed international agreements. Professors Koplow and Donohue further discuss the militarization of space, the ambiguity surround "peaceful purposes," the legal limits on nuclear weapons in orbit, the risks of anti-satellite warfare, intelligence fathering from space, and the potential for miscalculation during future conflicts

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Navigating the Law of Spectrum

With Christian Hatten, Associate at Jenner & Block

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How is the spectrum allocated, regulated, and auctioned - and why do those decisions have enormous economic and national security implications?

This episode explores the increasingly critical role of the communications spectrum in space, telecommunications, and national security. Professor Laura K. Donohue speaks with space and telecommunications attorney Christian Hatten about the finite nature of the spectrum, which enables every wireless communication, is regulated. Of note, the raising value, along with the pragmatic legal and technical challenges caused by the rapid growth of satellite networks are discussed. Their conversation also explains how emerging technologies in connectivity could help close important gaps while introducing new challenges around interference, licensing, and spectrum allocation.

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Systemic Shock: All Matters AI

With Dr. Wayne Chung, Chief Technology Officer at Virtru

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What is artificial intelligence, and where will it go?

This episode of NatSec EmTech explores everything from whale calls to data privacy, and how artificial intelligence is truly revolutionary. Dr. Wayne Chung, who is formerly the Innovator in Residence at the National Security Agency, and currently concurrently serves as an amici to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court/Court of Review and a member of the ISAT study group at DARPA on top of his day job of being the Chief Technology Officer at Virtru, sits down with Professor Donohue and talks about the trajectory of AI with a technical basis. They discuss how society could quickly move into a world where AI systems can act autonomously, manipulate information, and interact with the real world in ways that existing laws and institutions are not prepared to handle.

Listen to the episode on your preferred platform below:

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