WHO ARE WE?
The National Security Law Journal is a student-edited legal periodical published twice annually at Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. We print timely scholarship that furthers the dynamic field of national security law, including topics relating to foreign affairs, intelligence, homeland security, and national defense. Digital versions of our full issues are available online. We welcome submissions from all points of view, by both academics and legal practitioners, provided that they make significant and original contributions to the field. Learn more about us.
Celebrating 10 years of NSLJ
In Spring 2023, the National Security Law Journal celebrates ten years of achievement: ten volumes; nineteen issues; ten successful transitions of leadership; thirty-six professional pieces; forty-five student notes and comments; three book reviews; and symposia featuring prominent scholars and government leaders – from the DoD’s Deputy General Counsel for Intelligence, to the former head of the CIA and NSA, and the former Attorney General of the United States. In recognition of all the remarkable people and effort that has made NSLJ what it is today, the tenth Editorial Board reached out to a few of our distinguished alumni to ask for their stories, their advice for our current members, and how the journal has affected their lives.
Events
Fall 2026 Symposium: The First Move - Presidential Power, AUMFs, and the Legal Architecture of Starting Modern Wars
The National Security Law Journal and the National Security Institute are proud to host the first part of the 2025–26 symposium series, Starting and Ending Wars: Charting a Course from Conflict to Resolution in the 21st Century, this panel will examine the domestic and international legal authorities underpinning the decision to use military force—and how those frameworks apply in modern conflicts against both state and non-state actors.
Panelists will assess the continued relevance of post-9/11 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs), the scope of the President’s inherent Article II powers, and the evolution of Rules of Engagement. The discussion will compare the legal and strategic predicates for state-on-state conflicts such as Russia’s war in Ukraine with the United States’ prolonged unconventional engagements around the globe.
Attendees heard from a distinguished panel of experts: Corin Stone (Moderator), Governor Jim Gilmore (Panelist), Professor Paul Ahern (Panelist), Katie McCabe Chaudoin (Panelist), and Mark Iozzi (Panelist).
Spring 2025 Symposium: The War on Narcoterrorism: Is the War on Drugs Becoming the War on Terror?
On April 4, 2025, the National Security Law Journal and the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School hosted a panel to discuss the Trump Administration’s new executive order designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Attendees heard from a distinguished panel of experts: Mika’il Ali (Moderator), Dennis Fitzpatrick (Panelist), Cully Stimson (Panelist), Mahmut Cenzig (Panelist), and Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera (Panelist).
Our Honored Patrons
The Adcock-Rosa Family
Amy Shepard
Alexander Yesnik
Garrett Zahner
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