On July 25th – Partnership for a Secure America held an off-the-record dinner with Peraton Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Reginald Brothers and Director for the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown Dr. Jason Matheny. PSA Board member Ronak Desai moderated. The discussion focused on artificial intelligence and national security […]
On March 25, 2019, Partnership for a Secure America hosted an off-the-record dinner discussion for CPP alumni on Russian use of “gray zone” tactics.
On October 3, Partnership for a Secure America hosted an off-the-record Bipartisan Negotiation Panel to provide practical lessons in effective negotiation and bipartisan policy development. The panel was led by Lara Flint, former Chief Counsel for National Security for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bart Forsyth, former Chief of Staff for Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI).
The first of the Bipartisan Negotiation Panel series, this dinner event focused on the negotiation tactics behind the creation and passage of the USA FREEDOM ACT of 2015. As key architects, Lara Flint and Bart Forsyth evaluated their own roles and strategies in the passage of the Freedom Act. This series will build off of the knowledge obtained by Congressional Partnership Program participants during their negotiation training. Dinners will feature candid, deep-diving conversations with accomplished former and current senior Congressional Staff to explore the “mechanics of a deal” behind bipartisan legislation in national security and foreign policy arena.
Lara Flint is the Associate Director for Oversight and Congressional Capacity at the Democracy Fund, a bipartisan foundation working to ensure that our political system is able to withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. Lara leads the Governance Program’s work to strengthen safeguards that ensure our government is transparent and accountable to the public.
Lara is a skilled advocate with more than 15 years of legal, public policy and government experience, including a decade on Capitol Hill. Most recently she served as chief counsel for national security to then-Chairman Patrick Leahy of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she led the committee’s work on national security, privacy, and technology, and was instrumental to enactment of the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 — the first major surveillance reform legislation in decades. Previously, Lara served as senior counsel on the Judiciary Committee to Senator Russ Feingold.
Between her Senate positions, Lara joined the State Department Office of the Legal Adviser, where she advised senior State Department officials on counterterrorism, law of war, and use of force issues. Prior to her government service, Lara worked on policy at the intersection of technology and national security at the Center for Democracy & Technology, and conducted a broad range of litigation at the law firm of Jenner & Block. Lara is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and Harvard Law School.
Bart Forsyth currently serves as a deputy vice president with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He began his career in Washington as an Attorney Adviser at the Department of Labor. He later served as legal counsel to four House congressional committees: Foreign Affairs, Science, Judiciary, and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, the latter of which he was also chief of staff.
From 2012-2017, he was the chief of staff to Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. In this role, he had the pleasure of staffing several major legislative efforts, including the USA FREEDOM Act—a bill to institute sweeping intelligence reforms—and the Voting Rights Amendment Act—a modernization of the historic civil rights legislation. More recently, he helped spearhead the Judicial Redress Act, a law that facilitated the sharing of law enforcement information between countries by providing citizens of designated countries access to U.S. courts. Bart graduated magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University School of Law.
The Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) welcomed 30 Congressional staff members into the Summer 2018 Congressional Partnership Program (CPP) class. The program, in it’s 19th session, brings together Republican and Democratic staff to develop the skills and relationships required to advance bipartisanship on national security and foreign policy issues.
Through policy seminars, a weekend retreat, and networking activities, this program aims to equip the next generation of foreign policy and national security experts to respect differences, build common ground, and achieve U.S. national interests. The schedule will include opportunities for participants to meet with current and former public officials and other key policy experts.
The Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) welcomed 30 Congressional staff members into the Spring 2018 Congressional Partnership Program (CPP) class. The program, in it’s 18th session, brings together Republican and Democratic staff to develop the skills and relationships required to advance bipartisanship on national security and foreign policy issues.
Through policy seminars, a weekend retreat, and networking activities, this program aims to equip the next generation of foreign policy and national security experts to respect differences, build common ground, and achieve U.S. national interests. The schedule will include opportunities for participants to meet with current and former public officials and other key policy experts.
The Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) welcomes 29 Congressional staff members into PSA’s Fall 2017 Congressional Partnership Program (CPP) schedule. Currently in its 17th session, the program brings together Republicans and Democratic staff to develop the skills and relationships required to advance bipartisanship on national security and foreign policy issues.
Through policy seminars, a weekend retreat, and networking activities with top leaders in the field, this unique program aims to equip the next generation of foreign policy and security experts to respect differences, build common ground, and achieve U.S. national interests.
The Fall 2017 schedule will include opportunities for participants to meet with current and former public officials and other key policy experts. Previous sessions have met with policy leaders such as retired Gen. John Allen, former Deputy CIA director John McLaughlin, and Ambassador Tom Pickering.
Partnership for a Secure America is excited to announce a new partnership with the Embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania for 2017 titled The Worldview Series: Baltic States. This is the third installment of PSA’s program, The Worldview Series which aims to build deeper understanding of the important decisions American policy-makers face regarding U.S. foreign policy. The Embassies and PSA have designed this program to improve congressional insight on the Baltic States to better inform U.S. foreign policy decisions on Capitol Hill.
The series features off-the-record events with leading transatlantic experts from government, think tank, and business arenas. Focusing on a holistic understanding of the Baltic States’ histories, relations with the United States, and security situation, this program aims to build understanding of the important decisions American policy-makers face regarding US-Baltic relations.
The Embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are educational participants in the Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange Act, authorized by the U.S. Department of State.