Holland & Knight Welcomes Ike Blanton, Former Deputy Director at the Department of Defense, to Leading National Security & Defense Industry Group
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 23, 2026) – Ike Blanton, a distinguished former government official who served in senior roles within the U.S. Department of Defense (now referred to as the U.S. Department of War) and U.S. Department of State, has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in Washington, D.C. He will be a member of the Firm's leading National Security & Defense Industry Group and Federal Government Affairs Practice. Previously, he served as deputy director for global investment and economic security within the Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S), as well as several high-level roles with the State Department as a foreign service officer.
Mr. Blanton has more than 15 years of national security, economic security and government affairs experience through various roles as a lawyer, lobbyist, regulator and diplomat. At Holland & Knight, he will focus on advising defense industrial base companies and their supply chain partners, dual-use technology providers and companies working on hybrid warfare capabilities and economic security.
"With a career that spans government service, law practice, diplomacy, finance and government affairs, Ike's exceptional skills and keen insider insights align perfectly with the Firm's targeted client focus," said Jason Klitenic, chair of Holland & Knight's National Security & Defense Industry Group.
"Ike is a boon for Washington, D.C.'s leading defense industrial base and supply chain team, the singular team in this federal enclave that can shepherd through a client's federal marketplace objectives, whether those be policy, regulatory, business development and capture, government contracting or the like. We are ecstatic to call Ike our partner," added Nick Leibham, co-chair of the Firm's Emerging Technologies Law and Policy Team.
During his time within A&S, Mr. Blanton oversaw the department's economic competition efforts, including the development of the 1260H List of Chinese Military Companies and built capacity and capabilities with allies and partners through projects such as the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR) and National Technology and Industrial Base (NTIB). Mr. Blanton led various department reviews, security agreements, mitigation strategies and compliance monitoring efforts, including for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), as well as national security reviews involving Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) and Team Telecom. Mr. Blanton also directed strategic initiatives and led cross-functional supply chain risk assessments across weapons platforms, including efforts connected to Golden Dome for America supply chains.
Mr. Blanton also served as a foreign service officer in the State Department for nearly a decade. In this role, he served in consulates in Brazil and China and was detailed to the White House Situation Room. While in the Foreign Service, Mr. Blanton coordinated complex multi-agency initiatives, managed critical security assessments and analyzed geopolitical and economic matters across the globe. Before public service, he was in-house counsel at a bank and worked on finance, acquisitions, corporate strategy and secured transactions.
"The intersection of national security and commercial activity is the defining opportunity and challenge for companies the world over. Having focused on these matters during my government career, my experience will benefit the Firm's clients as well as America's national security interests," Mr. Blanton said. "After years of facilitating national security agreements and shaping various defense frameworks from the government side, I believe that Holland & Knight is a perfect match for my practice and the ideal place to put my experience to work."
Mr. Blanton earned his J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, his MBA from the University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business and his B.A. degree from the University of Tennessee.
Not admitted to District of Columbia Bar; admitted to Tennessee Bar and Georgia Bar only and practicing under supervision of lawyers licensed to practice in District of Columbia.