International and Foreign Law Committee (3/11/25)

Topic: Law of the Sea

Description: This presentation will focus on the foundational aspects of the Law of the Sea and how they have been applied by sovereign States in recent contexts. We will examine the key principles that apply to navigation and operations in the maritime domain, both as a matter of customary law and treaty law, as well as the U.S. approach to challenging other States’ excessive maritime claims. We will then apply those principles to some recent events to examine how the Law of the Sea may work in practice. 

Speaker: Margaret Materna, Deputy Director of the National Security Law Division for the Office of the JAG, U.S. Department of the Navy

Speaker Biography: Margaret Materna is the Deputy Director of the National Security Law Division for the Office of the JAG, U.S. Department of the Navy, a position in which she has served since 2018. In this capacity, she oversees the Division’s efforts to support the Fleets and advise the Judge Advocate General and Navy clients on National Security Law, with a particular focus on legal issues related to navigation in the Arctic domain, robotic and autonomous systems, and military uses of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. She previously served as Special Advisor to an Assistant Secretary of the Army; Legislative Counsel to two U.S. Senators; Associate Director of Legislative Affairs at a trade association; and as a Foreign Policy and Defense Legislative Analyst for Bloomberg Government. 

Margaret earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from McGill University in Montréal, Canada, and her Juris Doctorate, Certificate in International and Comparative Law, from Michigan State University College of Law. She is a member of the New York Bar and is published on several international legal and policy issues. Margaret is a recipient of the Superior Civilian Service Medal from the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal from the Secretary of the Army, and the Richard R. Baxter Prize in military writing from the American Society of International Law.

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