Panel Discussion on Space Crisis Dynamics and Uncertainty

Monday, March 27, 2017

As more countries integrate space into their national military capabilities and rely on space-based information for national security, there is an increased chance that any interference with satellites could spark or escalate a crisis or conflict. At the same time, the growing reliance on space for national security capabilities creates incentives for attacks on space capabilities as part of a conflict on Earth. To help increase awareness and understanding of these issues, SWF partnered with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to organize a table-top exercise (TTX) on space crisis dynamics and uncertainty in November 2016. 

On March 22, 2017, Director of Program Planning Dr. Brian Weeden and SWF Washington Office Director Ms. Victoria Samson spoke as part of a panel discussion at a conference organized by CSIS and the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) about the results of the SWF-CSIS TTX. They were joined on the panel by Mr. Todd Harrison and Dr. Zack Cooper from CSIS, and Dr. Jana Robinson from PSSI moderated. The panel discussion focused on the rationale for why space crisis dynamics are an important issue to study, the goals and structure of the TTX, major findings, and initial implications of the results of the TTX.  A video recording of the discussion can be found below (the TTX session starts at 1:20:44):

Additional information on the November 2016 TTX, including the scenario materials and summary report, can be found on the SWF event page.