A Contested Domain: From Space Theory to Practice

This event has already taken place.

On Wednesday, May 10 at 2:00pm ET the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Secure World Foundation (SWF) will host a virtual two-part event exploring space threat trends and how the U.S. Space Force is preparing Guardians to operate in a contested environment. This event will first feature a fireside chat with U.S. Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) Commander, Major General Shawn N. Bratton, followed by a panel discussion with CSIS and SWF experts to discuss their two recently released reports on counterspace weapons, including use by Russia in Ukraine. This will be a virtual event livestreamed from this webpage, with the opportunity for online viewers to submit live questions from this event page for both parts of the event.

2:00pm – 2:50pm
Preparing Guardians for a Contested Space Domain: Major General Shawn N. Bratton on STARCOM’s Threat-Informed Training, Education, Doctrine, and Wargaming

The CSIS Aerospace Security Project is pleased to host Major General Shawn N. Bratton, Commander of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), for a fireside chat to discuss the command’s mission and how it is putting the Chief of Space Operations’ Theory of Success into practice. The discussion will cover a wide range of topics including Guardian education and training, doctrine development and wargaming, industry partnerships, operations at the National Space Test and Training Complex (NSTTC), the SKIES series of combat readiness exercises, and observations from the annual Schriever space wargame.

STARCOM was established as a Field Command on August 23, 2021, and is responsible for preparing combat-ready U.S. space forces, including more than 6,000 Guardians, to prevail in competition and conflict through innovative education, training, doctrine, and test activities.

Moderated by: Kari A. Bingen, Director of the Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow in the International Security Program, CSIS

3:00pm – 4:00pm
The Use of Counterspace Weapons by Russia in Ukraine 

Please join scholars from CSIS’s Aerospace Security Project and the Secure World Foundation as they discuss the latest counterspace weapons trends. The conversation comes on the heels of complementary reports published annually by each organization, CSIS’ Space Threat Assessment 2023 and SWF’s Global Counterspace Capabilities Report. Experts from each organization will discuss key themes from their reports on counterspace weapons development and use, including on the battlefield in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Featuring: 

Kaitlyn Johnson, Deputy Director of the Aerospace Security Project and Fellow in the International Security Program, CSIS

Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation 

Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning, Secure World Foundation

Makena Young, Associate Fellow, Aerospace Security Project 

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.