ICYMI: The Steady State: “Quick Hit:” Attack on Iran and Aftermath

The Steady State’s “Quick Hit,” recorded March 12, 2026, is the latest in our series of live Q & A sessions open to members of the media, national security professionals and Congressional Staff, in which Steady State experts answer questions on the record.

This Quick Hit” press briefing, focuses on the attack on Iran and how to assess these events against a background of growing authoritarianism, and is moderated by The Steady State Executive Director, Steven A. Cash.

Panel Members;

Ambassador Robert Cekuta has had a strong focus on energy security and supplies during his forty year Foreign Service career as an economic/commercial officer in the State Department, including key leadership slots on the energy front Since leaving State, Bob has remained active on international energy matters, including teaching the geopolitics of energy at American University.

Col. Kevin Carroll (USMC Ret.) is a partner at the national security law firm of Mark S. Zaid, P.C. He served as senior counsel to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King. He pursued Iranian targets as a CIA and military case officer in Iraq and Yemen and at the United Nations, and has advised on litigation by victims of terrorism, including by Iran.

Dr. Mark Goodman is a senior scientist who retired from the State Department in 2025 after a thirty-year civil service career. He has worked extensively on international nuclear policy, including nuclear energy, nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament. Dr. Goodman is a non-resident fellow at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and a member of The Steady State.

Lauren Anderson is a former FBI executive who served nearly three decades in operational and leadership roles in national security in the United States and overseas. An Advisor to the U.S. Army in warfighter exercises and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she co-hosts The Steady State Sentinel podcast and writes What We Choose to Defend, focused on national security, the rule of law, and institutional trust.

Greg Rushford ran congressional oversight investigations (for both Republicans and Democrats) into defense- and intelligence from roughly 1967 – 1978. These were largely the Vietnam War years when Congress was working on a bipartisan basis to assert congressional checks-and-balances in the face of executive branch overreach — a drift towards what we considered an Imperial Presidency and authoritarianism.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 390 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.