View Commercial Space Remote Sensing and Its Role in National Security By Todd Harrison, Matthew Strohmeyer PublishedFebruary 2, 2022 Over the past two decades, the pace of innovation in the commercial space remote sensing industry has accelerated. The capabilities provided by commercial firms can be used to complement government space systems across a wide range of national security missions and fill in gaps in capabilities where the U.S. government has lagged. The challenge for […]
Jan26 Dancing Lights in Space: How to Manage The Risks of Satellite Close Approaches in Geostationary Orbit Both commercial satellite operators and governments are increasingly concerned about uncoordinated close approaches of their satellites by others in space, particularly in the geostationary belt where many valuable commercial and national security satellites reside. The Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Secure World Foundation (SWF) are […]
View When Elephants Fight in Space By Zhanna Malekos Smith PublishedJanuary 12, 2022 There is an insightful African proverb that says, “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” The same can be said for when states launch kinetic anti-satellite tests that produce harmful clouds of debris. Not only do these destructive tests—such as the Russian Federation’s missile test on November 15—undermine a sustainable space environment for all, but as the commercial […]
Jan19 Discussing Two Years of the Space Force with General Raymond CSIS hosts Chief of Space Operations, General John ‘Jay’ Raymond, to reflect on the progress of the first two years of the newest U.S. military branch, the Space Force.
View The ASAT Prisoner’s Dilemma: Making the Case for U.S. Leadership and a Unilateral Moratorium on Kinetic-Energy Anti-Satellite Testing By Douglas Loverro, Brian G. Chow, Brandon W. Kelley, Brian Weeden, Robert Cardillo PublishedJanuary 11, 2022 On the 15th anniversary of the first post-Cold War kinetic-energy ASAT test, it’s time for the U.S. to take a stance two RAND researchers structured the fundamental tenets in game theory of what later became known as “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” – a description of a situation in which two perfectly rational actors, ignorant of […]
Nov16 Understanding the Intersection between Commercial Space and National Security ISR Needs Please join the Aerospace Security Project on Tuesday, November 16th at 2pm ET for a conversation on the ISR needs of both commercial and national security space. Moderator Todd Harrison, Director of the Aerospace Security Project and Defense Budget Analysis at CSIS, will be joined by Sue Gordon, Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence of […]
View Battle Networks and the Future Force: Part 2 By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 3, 2021 This paper draws on lessons from previous attempts to improve battle network integration and explores how DoD can properly scope the problem and organize itself to effectively and efficiently acquire the systems needed to realize its vision for JADC2.
Congressional Testimony: NASA’s Future in Low Earth Orbit By Todd Harrison PublishedSeptember 21, 2021 The following testimony was presented to the House Science, Space, & Technology Committee during its “NASA’s Future in Low Earth Orbit: Considerations for ISS Extension and Transition” hearing on September 21, 2021. Chairman Beyer, Ranking Member Babin, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important topic. The […]
View On-Orbit Servicing By Hannah Duke PublishedSeptember 16, 2021 On-orbit servicing is an emerging industry that provides access to satellites in orbit for repairs, upgrades, inspection, maneuvering without regret, and debris mitigation. These capabilities have the potential to revolutionize logistics and resiliency of DoD operations in space.
View Battle Networks and the Future Force: Part 1 By Todd Harrison PublishedAugust 5, 2021 As the first in a series that explores the future of battle networks in the U.S. military—what has become known as Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2)—this paper examines the importance of battle networks to modern military operations and presents a framework of five functional elements that make up a battle network. This framework provides a common basis for conceptualizing and comparing existing systems and proposed new capabilities in terms of how they contribute to JADC2.