The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Archive: Aram Gavoor on the Biden Administration’s AI National Security Memo
Apr 12, 2026
Aram Gavoor, Associate Dean at GW Law and technology policy and national security expert, breaks down the Biden administration's first national security AI memo. He traces its origins, explains how it was produced, and outlines its strategic aims on industry signaling, frontier models, procurement changes, China competition, talent recruitment, and energy demands. Short, timely analysis of policy and implementation choices.
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AI Policy Has Been Built By The Executive Branch
- No single federal statute governs AI; executive-branch policy has driven U.S. AI governance to date.
- Aram Gavoor traces the timeline from Obama and Trump EOs to Biden's EO 14110 and OMB memos M-24-10 and M-24-18 shaping current rules.
NSM Pushes For Frontier Models And Agile Military Software
- The NSM aims to integrate frontier AI into national security, not just apply consumer models to government use cases.
- Gavoor explains frontier models will enable rapid software updates (monthly) for systems like precision missiles, requiring new doctrine and cross-agency sharing.
NSM Extends Beyond Defense Into Economy And Rights
- The NSM is broader than the military: it covers industrial policy, energy, procurement, privacy, and civil-rights constraints.
- Gavoor highlights tension between maximizing supremacy (sharing frontier tech) and civil-rights and privacy limits for domestic use.