Hogan Lovells expands its podcast arsenal with launch of National Security Podcast

In an age when technology and social media mean global geopolitical events can create shockwaves in a matter of hours, if not minutes, having a dedicated team of lawyers help navigate the challenges and threats of national security is crucial. At Hogan Lovells, national security is baked into virtually all practice areas and industries, from clothing affected by the Uyghur forced labor bill, or the myriad impacts of the Ukraine war, or political conditions in a country of importance to a client. The podcast will provide an overview of key developments as well as informative segments on the most current issues that can impact goals of businesses and organizations. 

Michael Scheimer regularly advises on obtaining and maintaining government security clearances, and complying with industrial security requirements. Mike got an inside look at the industry while working for a major defense contractor in a number of national security positions. As a legal analyst in the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the General Counsel, International Affairs, he supported DoD international armaments cooperation programs.

Tim Bergreen has more than 20 years of experience advising and legislating across a range of policy issues relating to national security and is a former Staff Director of the House Intelligence Committee, which oversees U.S. intelligence agencies including components of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, Treasury and Energy. 

Please tune in every two weeks for key developments across the national security realm.

Episode 1 – U.S. and China Geopolitical Competition

In this inaugural episode, Mike and Tim discuss technology competition between the U.S. and China, focusing on dual use technologies that have both military and civilian applications. They discuss the recent  Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress and Xi Jinping securing a third term as General Secretary, comments by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and recent comments by Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan F. Estevez, in addition to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) new export controls on advanced computing and semiconductor manufacturing items as part of a broader discussion on balancing U.S. national security concerns on emerging technologies with fostering innovation, foreign investment, and collaborative research (particularly in the academic world).  

Episode 2 – The Biden Administration National Security Strategy

In this episode, Mike and Tim react to the Biden administration’s 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS), and the Department of Defense National Defense Strategy (NDS), discuss what is (and is not) described in these documents regarding strategic competition with China and Russia, and unpack the administration’s focus on domestic industrial policy and investment. 

Episode 3 – Battlefield Lessons from the Ukraine

In the third episode, Mike and Tim discuss the Ukraine conflict’s impact on U.S. and allied defense spending including replacement of US munitions stores to replenish the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and ammunition; Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems and Javelin anti-armor systems that were sent to Ukraine; the Ukrainian success with commercial off the shelf drones; and Ukrainian use of open-source intelligence (social-media posts, smartphone photos, commercial drone videos, and commercial satellite imagery) to locate and target Russian forces. 

The National Security Podcast series can be found here, and listeners can find it on Spotify, Google Play, iTunes, and other popular podcast platforms.