State Department Officials Speak at Lexington’s Capitol Hill Tech Conference

By Sam Obitts: The Lexington Institute was honored to welcome two officials from the U.S. Department of State as featured speakers at our July 24 Capitol Hill Tech Conference: Jordan Brewer, Special Advisor in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, and Matthew Killian, Senior Foreign Affairs Officer in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Mr. Brewer discussed the interaction of technology policy and foreign policy, and Mr. Killian addressed cyber scams.

Mr. Brewer reviewed how technology policy now shapes nearly every major foreign policy issue, including economic competitiveness, national security, and geopolitical influence. He emphasized the importance of secure and trusted technology networks, defining trusted suppliers as those from jurisdictions that respect the rule of law and maintain an independent judiciary.

Brewer also outlined the State Department’s work to advance American technology leadership through initiatives such as PaxSilica, greater U.S. participation in international standards bodies, stronger robotics supply chains, and partnerships that help countries adopt trusted telecommunications infrastructure.

As Brewer explained, “This success rests on light-touch regulation, strong intellectual property protections, deep capital markets, and an entrepreneurial culture that rewards out-of-the-box thinking and experimentation.” He warned that the United States is competing not only with China’s authoritarian, state-driven system, but also with regulatory-heavy approaches that can disadvantage American companies. His remarks underscored the need for government, Congress, and the private sector to work together to preserve U.S. leadership.

Killian focused on the rapidly growing threat of cyber-enabled fraud, particularly scams operated by transnational criminal organizations in Southeast Asia. He described schemes involving fraudulent cryptocurrency investments, impersonation, romance scams, and sextortion, which affect Americans from every state and background.

Killian said Southeast Asia-based networks are believed to steal at least $12.5 billion from Americans each year, while also exploiting hundreds of thousands of trafficking victims in forced criminality. He outlined the State Department’s response, including diplomatic pressure, sanctions and other consequences, international law enforcement cooperation, and public-private efforts to prevent scams and disrupt illicit transactions.

Killian stressed that the scale and sophistication of these criminal networks require help beyond the executive branch. “We need to leverage American innovation from outside the government to match the innovation of these criminal groups,” he said. He called for closer cooperation with Congress, technology companies, financial institutions, educational organizations, and the media to protect Americans and raise public awareness.

To view Mr. Brewer’s presentation, click here. To read the transcript, click here.

To view Mr. Killians’s presentation, click here. To read the transcript, click here.