Center on Law, Ethics and National Security

Founded in 1993, the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security (LENS) promotes the education and discussion of complex and diverse issues involved in national and international security.  As a non-partisan entity, LENS aims to encourage critical thinking, invite discussion of complex issues, and to prompt consideration of ethical aspects of decision-making in national security, so as to equip the public – and current and future leaders – with insight and understanding about the intricacies of contemporary challenges and the value of the rule of law.

At its core, LENS is focused on preparing the next generation of national security leaders, while advancing for all a greater knowledge and understanding of the role of law and ethics in an increasingly complex global security environment.

LENS explores legal issues in the national realm such as governance of the national security enterprise, civil-military relations (including the domestic use of the armed force), counterterrorism, surveillance, public health emergencies as well as the investigation and prosecution of national security cases.  From a global perspective, LENS examines the use of force, the law of armed conflict (to include its application to weapons of mass destruction), the impact of security issues on international business endeavors, as well as the expanding role of cyber, artificial intelligence, and outer space in the international security environment.