Secretary Jeh Johnson in Conversation about National Security Challenges

Secretary Jeh Johnson will give a lunchtime talk on February 28, 2018, about navigating national security challenges in the Trump Era. The discussion with Professor Oona Hathaway '97 will draw on lessons learned during his time as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and as the General Counsel of the Department of Defense where he dealt with a wide array of issues ranging from counterterrorism, responses to national disasters, border security, immigration reform, maritime security, to upgrading our nation's cybersecurity capabilities. He currently practices law at Paul Weiss in New York City and will also reflect on the transition and continuities between government service and private sector practice.

Prior to becoming Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2009-2012) and General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force (1998-2001). Earlier in his career, he was also an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1989-1991). Johnson is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

"We are honored to have the opportunity to host Secretary Johnson at Yale Law School," said Professor Hathaway. "His extraordinary career, including public service at the highest levels of government, give him unique insight into a range of challenging issues facing our nation today."

The event is sponsored by the Center for Global Legal Challenges and the Yale Law & Business Society.

The Yale Law School Center for Global Legal Challenges is an independent Center that bridges the divide between the legal academy and legal practice on global legal issues. It provides a forum where academic experts and students regularly interact with public and private sector actors responsible for addressing global legal challenges. By bringing these communities together, the Center aims to inject new ideas into legal policy debates and grow a new generation of lawyers with a sense of their capacity and responsibility to use international law, foreign affairs law, and national security law to address real challenges facing the nation.