Pentagon
62 Articles

“In Focus” Syllabus Supplements: Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technology, and National Security (2025–2026)
This syllabus supplement offers curated articles intended to be combined with traditional casebooks in a law or higher ed classroom.

Deference Should Follow Expertise, Not Pretext
Anthropic v. Department of War reveals why courts must distinguish genuine national security judgments from pretextual ones and how to do it.

The Pentagon’s Autonomous Weapons Definitions Don’t Need an Overhaul, They Need an Update
The Pentagon's push to integrate AI into weapons systems exposes a critical gap: no one can agree on what "autonomous weapons" means.

AI and the Commercial Data Loophole
The Pentagon’s new deals to deploy commercial LLMs on its classified networks provide it with a powerful surveillance capability that could be turned on Americans.

Why It’s Wrong to Involuntarily Mobilize Reserve JAGs for Immigration Cases
Federal law specifies that involuntary mobilization is to be used only to provide military forces for war or national emergencies.

Civilian Protection in the Age of Military AI: What Congress’s New Legislative Proposals Reveal About Emerging Safeguards
Members of the Senate are taking steps to regulate and restrict how the Department of Defense develops and uses AI in its operations.

Collection: Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions
Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.
The Just Security Podcast: Reporting at a Crossroads
A panel hosted by the Reiss Center and Just Security explores challenges facing national security journalism, legal risks, and newsroom leadership in a polarized landscape.

The Armed Forces Need the Military Justice Review Panel
Rather than some new handcrafted DoD entity, it is crucial that the Military Justice Review Panel (MJRP) be restored as required under statute.

What A War Game Already Told Us About Iran
A war game exposed the risks of fighting Iran with assumptions instead of strategy, and its lessons echo in today’s conflict.

Legal Foundations of Honorable Military Service
As former judge advocates, it was our responsibility while on active duty to advise on the legal demands of and limits on senior officers’ authority and responsibility.

The Dangers of Hegseth’s “Warfighter” Ethos
Hegseth may present his version of a warfighter as the paragon of U.S. military power, but for all his talk, he fails to recognize the true strengths of the armed forces.