The "Party at Nakatomi Plaza" Edition

<p>This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by military&nbsp;law expert&nbsp;and <em>Lawfare</em> contributor Michel Paradis!&nbsp;They sat down to discuss the week's national security news, including:</p><ul><li>“You Want the Boost? You Can’t HANDLE the Boost!” Several states’ governors are <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2021/12/state-guards-vaccine-refusal-sets-fight-feds/359827/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">refusing</a> to direct their national guards to comply with the Defense Department’s vaccination mandate. Can the federal government <a href="https://www.lawfareblog.com/federalism-and-coronavirus-vaccination-mandates-military-personnel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">make them comply</a>?</li><li>“If Optimus Prime is Wrong, I Don’t Want to Be Right.” Last week, a U.N. body <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/world/robot-drone-ban.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">debated</a> whether to pursue a treaty banning the development and use of automated war machines. Is there merit to this proposal or good reason to be skeptical?</li><li>“I’m Rubber, You’re Sued.” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/nyregion/trump-lawsuit-letitia-james.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> and <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/20/alex-jones-sues-jan-6-committee-indicates-plan-to-plead-the-fifth-525770" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/08/politics/mark-meadows-lawsuit/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">associates</a> are using the courts to strike back against both the January 6 committee and New York state officials seeking to investigate them. Are there merits to their arguments or is something else afoot?</li></ul><p>For object lessons, Alan endorsed his local distillery,&nbsp;<a href="https://studiodistilling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Studio Distilling</a>, and urged everyone to seek out their local distilleries everywhere.