Lauren Zabierek

I want to be part of the conversation that articulates a way forward and my contribution is in redefining national security for all of us. If this resonates with you, I’d love to connect here and hear from you too.

Our generations (X/millennials) have been running toward the fight since 2001, trying to clean up the messes we’ve been handed and we know that things need to change if we are to survive and thrive.

A little more about me–I’ve served in the military, in the intelligence community, in academia, in the federal government, nonprofit, and private sectors. I’m a mother of two young kids. My little brother was killed in the war on terror. I have been to war. I’m an X-ennial. I’m an eldest daughter.

I believe that childcare, education, infrastructure, diversity, healthcare, climate security, cybersecurity (thru software security), economic security, and more are national security issues. I look forward to sharing my thoughts here.

My goal with this is not to get more women into national security roles (there are other great organizations taking on that task); but rather, to expand our lens of national security, create language around that, & develop/advocate (w/you) for policies that make all of us safer & more secure.

In fact, I argue for a matriarchal reframing of national security, toward systems of care.

He also wrote that security means “untroubled by danger and fear. It’s a conditional state of mind that makes one feel secure.” So to me, national security is about people & how we survive and thrive. There’s a lot more to that than just control, exclusion, defense, and force.

Prabhakaran Paleri wrote, “humans not only want to survive, but also want to live their lives to the utmost. It is within this struggle for existence, somewhere between despair & hope that the concept of ‘national security’ hides in a world divided by nations; the terminology does not matter.”

I’ve spent over two decades in traditional national security systems and ever since I resigned from my senior federal cybersecurity role this spring, I’ve been writing about why we need to redefine our understanding of and approach to national security in my Redefining National Security Substack.

You know how national security is largely framed as protection from external threats & our policies (and $) focus on defense, military equipment, surveillance, border control, & adv tech–essentially to keep things out? Despite that, many don’t feel safe or secure from a lot of other threats?

What the New National Security Strategy Refuses to See (Its People) Redefining National Security and the Blind Spots of the 2025 National Security Strategy

open.substack.com/pub/lzxdc/p/...

Today, we’re announcing our next bold step: Five by Five, a five-year strategic plan to reach 5 million women and nonbinary individuals by 2030.

Five by Five is more than a number — it’s a mission to shape the leaders who will use tech for good. www.girlswhocode.com/strategic-plan

YouTube video by Juliette Kayyem Welcome to The Crisis Code with Juliette Kayyem

It’s called the #CrisisCode (Decoding the chaos for a safer tomorrow) and if this sounds like something you need right now, I encourage you to like and subscribe. youtu.be/n6ZKG9YhveY?...

In these challenging times, she’s just launched a new show on YouTube to help us to decode crises and find our agency which I for one am grateful and excited for.

If you read Juliette Kayyem’s book The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in An Age of Disasters, or if you watch her on CNN, you know that she has this unique ability to cut through the noise to help us understand the “what”, the “so what,” and the “what now” in a pragmatic and practical way.

Some Facts About Fact-Checking: Defending the Imperfect Search for Truth in an Era of Institutionalized Lying | TechPolicy.Press Fact-checking ensures a distinction between facts and falsehoods and that everything is not up for grabs because powerful people say so, writes Paul Barrett.

I've written a piece for Tech Policy Press called, "Some Facts About Fact-Checking: Defending the Imperfect Search for Truth in an Era of Institutionalized Lying." It sounds wonky, but it's from the heart, people. Please give it a read (and a boost). Thanks. www.techpolicy.press/some-facts-a...