List of Upcoming SMA Speaker Sessions

March 2023 No Comments

(Updated 18 March 2024) For general speaker series inquiries and information on how to join an event, please contact Mariah Yager (mariah.c.yager.ctr@mail.mil). Thursday 21 March 2024 1300 EST Thursday 4 April 2024 1000 EST Tuesday 16 April 2024 1000 EST

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Alleviating US-Iran Tensions

March 2018 No Comments

Question (R4.6): What are the competing national interests of the United States and Iran in the Middle East and what are the options for alleviating United States / Iranian tensions to mutual satisfaction and improved regional stability? Author | Editor: Astorino-Courtois, A. (NSI, Inc). Executive Summary The US and Iran have the same types of […]

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Counter Extremism in Sunni Communities

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Question (V2): What are the key factors that would impact the wave of violent extremism and ideological radicalism that affect the Sunni community? Author | Editor: Canna, S. (NSI, Inc). Executive Summary The Sunni community is not homogenous, and contributors expressed their discomfort making broad generalizations for a number of reasons. Most Sunni Arabs still […]

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Whole of Government Approach to Conflict

March 2018 No Comments

R4 Question #2: How could DoD and DoS be better postured to address regional and world conflicts to ensure a whole of government approach to identify and synchronize lines of effort in both planning and execution? Author | Editor: Canna, S. (NSI, Inc). Executive Summary Not many experts were willing to tackle this problem of […]

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Ally, Adversary, and Partner Use of Space

January 2018 No Comments

[Q2] How does each entity in the following categories conceive of space operations for military and commercial purposes? How do they approach space operations and services? Is there any difference in how their commercial ventures (if any) consider security during peace, crisis, and conflict? a. PRC, Russia, Iran, North Korea; b. European Space Agency, Japan, […]

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How Should Space Feature in US Deterrence Strategy

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[Q14] How should space feature in US deterrence strategy? How do space operations, policies, and investments impact multi-domain deterrence? What changes to US deterrence thinking are required to incorporate the space domain? To what extent should space adopt deterrence strategies from other domains? Which is the most critical US national security objective: deterring aggression from […]

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Hindrances Between Private and Gov’t Space Sectors

January 2018 No Comments

[Q9] What are the biggest hindrances to a successful relationship between the private and government space sectors? How can these be minimized? A Virtual Think Tank (ViTTa)® Report. Author | Editor: A. Astorino-Courtois (NSI, Inc,). Summary Response The 33 individuals or teams that provided input represent large, medium, and small/start-up space companies;4 USG civil space […]

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Dominance in a Warfighting Domain Won’t Get Us There

December 2017 No Comments

Dominance in a Warfighting Domain Won’t Get Us There: Thoughts on a Comprehensive Approach for Space Security. Author | Editor: A. Astorino-Courtois (NSI, Inc,). Overview Recent statements by senior national security space leaders dubbing space a “warfighting domain” and calling for US space superiority are not a sufficient foundation for achieving a stable security environment […]

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Allied/Commercial Capabilities to Enhance Resilience

December 2017 No Comments

[Q11] What opportunities are there to leverage ally and commercial capabilities to enhance the resilience of space services for commercial and national security critical space services? What are the major hurdles to doing so? A Virtual Think Tank (ViTTa)® Report. Author | Editor: B. Bragg (NSI, Inc,). Summary Response The importance of strengthening the resilience […]

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Motivations and Costs to Contest Uses of Space

December 2017 No Comments

[Q3] What are the motivations of nation-state and non-state actors (e.g., violent extremists, etc.) to contest use of space in times of peace, instability, and conflict? What are the political, military, environmental, or social costs associated with acting on those motivations? A Virtual Think Tank (ViTTa)® Report. Author | Editor: J. Stevenson (NSI, Inc,). Summary […]

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