#21 Peter Villano on Congressional Authorities

During this episode, Pete Villano discusses US Congressional oversight and authorities. During his time as Professional Staff with the House Armed Services Committee from 2010 through 2020, Pete helped politicians and other governmental leaders grapple with new national security threats and the new era of great power competition. The conversation concludes with Pete describing the pace of technological change and making the case that the United States government must innovate faster. Click here for full show notes & resources

Bio: Mr. Peter Villano works for Microsoft and is a director at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center in Washington, D.C. where he focuses on national security and emerging technology policy challenges. Prior to joining Microsoft, Pete served for more than a decade as a Professional Staff Member on the House Armed Services Committee, and advised Members of Congress on issues related to cyber operations and policy, information technologies, counterterrorism, special operations, Intelligence programs, and related interagency activities. He was the principal staff author of ground-breaking Artificial Intelligence legislation, including the creation of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, and was a recent recipient of the “Fed 100” Award for 2020 from Federal Computer Weekly for contributions in Information Technology and cyberwarfare. He has also served in senior staff positions at the U.S. State Department and is a former Naval Officer with service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen, leading specialized Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) or “Bomb Squad” teams.

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