Nelson E. Layfield is a national security affairs fellow for the academic year 2024–25 at the Hoover Institution and serves as a special agent representing the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Since 2004, Layfield has conducted counterespionage and counterintelligence investigations, as well as public corruption and civil rights violations. He currently serves on the Counterintelligence Task Force, where he works to increase awareness and thwart instances of transnational repression and malign foreign influence.
He spoke about why he wanted to be a national security affairs fellow, and his plans for his year at Hoover.
What did you know about Hoover before you applied to become an NSAF?
As an undergraduate, I studied a significant amount of economics and became aware that Hoover is a place where important economic policy work is done and where several economic luminaries have resided, including Milton Friedman. In 2012, I had an opportunity to interact with the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, for professional reasons (no, Hoover was not in trouble with the FBI). The leadership and staff that I met and worked with were friendly, supportive, and went out of their way to make my job easier. When I completed my work at Hoover, I was invited by the then-Director of Archives to attend a symposium for Milton Friedman’s 100th birthday celebration that was taking place the following week. On the first day of the symposium, George Shultz spoke just before lunch. As part of his remembrance of Friedman, he sang a birthday song that he had personally written for Friedman many years prior. Among his many talents, George Shultz also had an impressively good singing voice. At lunch, I spotted the recently retired Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), a four-star Admiral who headed the U.S. Navy. As a Navy Reserve officer, I took advantage of the moment and asked if I could join him for lunch, which he graciously accepted and invited me to sit with him and his wife. Ten minutes into our conversation, George Shultz came to our table and sat down next to me. When the day started, the last thing I expected was to be having lunch with the CNO and the preeminent George Shultz. It was then that I began to fully appreciate that Hoover is indeed a very special place.
Aside from reconnecting and recharging with your loved ones, what are you most looking forward to doing with your year as an NSAF?
I am really looking forward to broadening my intellectual interests and perspectives by learning from some of the best thinkers in the world. Opinions on issues ranging from economics, international affairs, world history, national security, and education—the level of scholarship taking place at Hoover is world class. I want to be exposed to as much as possible and absorb as much as I am able during my time here. The depth, breadth, and expertise of the many distinguished scholars at Hoover is truly unsurpassed and I feel quite privileged to have an opportunity to spend a year at Hoover.
Have you met with your student mentees yet? What is the most interesting question they have asked you?
Regularly meeting with my mentees has been the highlight of my time at Hoover. It goes without saying they are exceptionally bright, motivated, and intellectually curious. I am continually impressed with the thoughtfulness and depth of the questions asked by my mentees and the mentees of my NSAF colleagues. I have gotten questions regarding the degree to which various government agencies work together, share information, and make decisions. My students truly want what is best for our country and its citizens.
In your view what is the biggest misconception the civilian public has about life in the military (or national security services)?
One of the most frequent questions I am asked about life at the FBI is, “is it just like on the TV shows/movies?” For the most part, the answer is not really. Though we certainly are involved in exciting and high-stakes investigations, the public often thinks the FBI has real-time access to databases that contain every person’s personal and professional history, traffic camera footage, satellite imagery, etc. We do not. We can get access to some of that information through court-ordered warrants and other legal processes, but the reality is the investigative information we derive is most often a result of methodical, painstaking, often mundane, and, of course, always legal means. Because of Hollywood portrayals, there can be a perception that the FBI is all-knowing and can rapidly thwart all plots. Most often, the reality is not quite made-for-TV. However, all that said, if there is reasonable belief of an imminent threat to life, I have seen the FBI move mountains in tight time frames to ensure the protection of the American people.
Which Hoover fellow are you most looking forward to meeting/working with? Why?
Isn’t the answer for everyone Condoleezza Rice? Dr. Rice is such a towering figure in both the government and academic realms, and is respected by virtually everyone for her deep knowledge and experience, her insight and discernment, and her composure when facing difficult and pressing problems. Aside from the esteemed Dr. Rice, there isn’t one particular fellow I’m looking forward to meeting. There are so many great and distinguished fellows with such varied backgrounds, and it has been fantastic meeting and conversing with them all. I have already had great conversations with fellows who I’m not personally familiar with, and found out later that person is a luminary in his/her field. To have access to so many people of this stature is a rare opportunity. Additionally, the culture at Hoover encourages us to freely contact any fellow and request a personal meeting, which most are more than happy to take.
What is your capstone/focus project for the year going to be?
In recent years I have been professionally focusing on the issue of technology and intellectual property theft by nation-state adversaries. This issue is particularly profound in the Silicon Valley from the result of the groundbreaking work and new technologies developed at Stanford and the surrounding start-up ecosystem. There are people at Hoover thinking critically about how to meet this challenge and how to strike the best balance between research, security, and collaboration. I will be working with some of these scholars and researchers to help ensure that we are thoughtful, discerning, and developing ideas and methodologies that are inclusive but also safeguards our research and technology to give the United States an advantage over the competition. Additionally, our NSAF Director encourages us to consider exploring areas outside our expertise, so I am also studying the field of civic education and the need to re-instill the notions of civic education and engagement in our country’s young people.
What are you hoping to bring back to your service from your year at Hoover?
I certainly want to take back a renewed sense of intellectual curiosity and inquisitiveness that is so prevalent at Hoover. The culture here is about striving to understand the root causes and asking tough questions that truly cut to the heart of important matters. I want to regularly engage my colleagues at this level when I return to my office. Because I will be living in the area after my time at Hoover, I also hope to maintain and build on the relationships that I have developed while on campus.
What is America’s principal national security challenge today in your view? Why?
It seems there are currently so many intractable challenges—none with simple solutions—and in so many areas of the world. I believe the United States faces the challenge to continually provide leadership on the world stage and meeting so many simultaneous national security crises while trying to maintain strong and inclusive economic and domestic policies. There are no easy one-size-fits-all solutions. Also, America is being pulled in so many different directions, including from within, it is imperative that we develop leaders with fortitude, humility, and vision, and encourage them to accept the challenge of leading the nation forward.
