Just over one week after the 2024 presidential election results were announced, an audience of 150 people gathered, both virtually and in person, for the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security’s anticipated event, “New term, New Challenges: National Security in the Trump Administration.”
Attendees gathered at George Mason University's Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia, for the event hosted by the Schar School of Policy and Government. After a busy and turbulent week in the world of politics, the room was charged with curiosity and anticipation as students and professionals alike aimed to gain an understanding of what the intelligence community and international security landscape could look like under a second Trump administration.
The panel discussed the current climate of national security and the intelligence community following the 2024 presidential election, and what changes to possibly expect as the transition process begins for a second Trump administration. The panelists also commented on the ongoing tensions between Israel, Iran, and Iran’s proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis as well as the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Moderator Larry Pfeiffer, director of the Hayden Center, guided the conversation and covered a range of pertinent topics.
The panelists brought decades of experience covering national security and intelligence to the conversation.
- Ken Dilanian is a national security reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit based in Washington, D.C. He has previously covered national security for the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Dilanian has served as a foreign correspondent and covered various places around Europe and the Middle East.
- Amy Mackinnon is an award-winning national security and intelligence reporter at Foreign Policy. She has reported from across Eastern Europe and was previously based in Moscow and Tbilisi, Georgia. Mackinnon is a recipient of the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for her reporting on homophobic vigilantes in Russia.
- Warren Strobel covers intelligence and security at the Wall Street Journal. He has traveled with seven U.S. secretaries of state and two presidents. Strobel was White House and State Department correspondent for the Washington Times and is the author of articles in American Journalism Review and the Christian Science Monitor. He was a fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in 1994-95.
The panelists pointed out how difficult it is to cover intelligence and national security matters as a journalist considering the sensitivity of the information yet anticipated decreased access and increased challenges in the future.
Strobel reflected on his experience saying, “I go back to covering the first Trump administration, and trying to cover the CIA and other agencies was like banging your head against the wall.” Panelists agreed their journalistic beat has always been difficult, but it was even more difficult during the Trump administration. “I’m concerned we're heading into that zone again which makes our jobs fun but very challenging,” said Strobel.
Mackinnon expressed her concern about what a less traditional domestic intelligence community would mean for the United States on the world stage.
Mackinnon stressed that other countries around the world could begin to question how comfortable they are sharing classified information, obtained through potentially very sensitive sources, with the United States.
“Then the question is, ‘Well how does that impact the very crucial intelligence sharing that goes on through these alliances which is vital for the U.S. and overall and global security?’” she said.
The event ended with questions from the audience in which the panel also discussed the ongoing conflicts around the world, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
Foreign election interference was also an urgent question on people's minds and how the United States can combat it going forward. The panel also weighed in on some of the people that President-elect Trump has nominated for senior intelligence positions and the impact those appointments could have in the future.
A video of the full conversation is available on the Hayden Center YouTube channel here.