ABA luncheon marks 20th anniversary of DOJ’s National Security Division

May 26, 2026

ABA luncheon marks 20th anniversary of DOJ's National Security Division

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2026 - Four former assistant attorneys general will discuss defending the U.S. from espionage, cyber threats, terrorism and more at a luncheon hosted by the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security to recognize the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Justice National Security Division (NSD). The luncheon will be held Thursday, June 4, at The University Club in Washington, D.C.

NSD was created in 2006 by the USA PATRIOT Reauthorization and Improvement Act. Its mission is to "protect the United States from threats to our national security by pursuing justice through the law."

Former assistant attorneys general, Matthew G. Olsen, partner at WilmerHale; John Demers, corporate secretary, vice president and assistant general counsel at The Boeing Company; John P. Carlin, partner at Paul Weiss; and Kenneth Wainstein, partner at Mayer Brown, will explore the federal government's past developments and future challenges in national security. Kelli Andrews, senior director for cybersecurity and lawful access policy at Microsoft, and former NSD chief of staff and senior counsel, is the moderator.

What:
DOJ National Security Division 20th Year Anniversary: A Discussion with Former Assistant Attorneys General for National Security Sponsored by the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security

When:
Thursday, June 4
12-2 p.m.

Where:
The University Club
1135 16th Street NW
Washington, D.C.

Registration for the luncheon can be found here. The speaker bios can be found here.

This event is free and open to the media, however there is a $40 cost for lunch. For media credentialing and registration, please contact Betsy Adeboyejo at [email protected].

Check out podcasts by the Standing Committee on Law and National Security:

• Securing AI: Threat Models, Prompt Injections and National Security with Shoshana Cox
• Biological Data Governance in an Age of AI with Doni Bloomfield
• Ghost in the Machine: What AI Inherited and Why It Matters with Valerie Veatch

The Standing Committee on Law and National Security is the oldest standing committee in the ABA. Since 1962, the committee has sustained a commitment to educating the bar and public on national security issues.