Ike Blanton

Ike Blanton is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office, where he is a member of the National Security & Defense Industry Group and Federal Government Affairs Practice. With more than 15 years of national security, economic security and government affairs experience, Mr. Blanton advises defense industrial base companies and their supply chains, dual-use technology providers, and those actors focused on hybrid warfare capabilities and economic security.

Mr. Blanton draws on senior-level experience to advise clients on complex regulatory and policy matters at the intersection of national security, international business and strategic competition. He represents clients before congressional stakeholders, executive branch departments, federal agencies and independent regulatory bodies.

Clients value Mr. Blanton's ability to drive measurable results by connecting policy developments, commercial objectives and operational risk. He has led cross-functional teams focused on some of the federal government's most consequential economic security portfolios, including work involving critical infrastructure, technology transfer, intellectual property, major weapons platform supply chains and federal acquisition compliance.

Mr. Blanton has held a Top Secret/SCI level security clearance.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Blanton was a vice president at a full-service government relations firm.

Previously, Mr. Blanton was deputy director for global investment and economic security within the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) Office of the Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment. He oversaw the DOD's economic competition efforts, including the development of the 1260H List of Chinese Military Companies, and built partner capacity with allies and partners in projects such as the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPER) and National Technology and Industrial Base (NTIB). He led various department reviews, foreign investment review, security agreements, mitigation strategies and compliance monitoring efforts, including for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) and Team Telecom. He also directed strategic initiatives and led cross-functional supply chain risk assessments across weapons platforms, including efforts to secure the Golden Dome for America supply chains.

Additionally, Mr. Blanton held various high-level roles in the U.S. Department of State, including a foreign service officer in two foreign consulates in Brazil and China before a tour at the White House. He coordinated complex multi-agency initiatives, managed critical security assessments, monitored global conditions and assessed geopolitical and economic matters.

Earlier in his career, he was in-house counsel at a bank and focused on finance, acquisitions, corporate strategy and secured transactions.

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.