MINDSPACE: Cognition in Space Operations

June 2018 No Comments

MINDSPACE: Cognition in Space Operations

Speaker: Wright, N. (Intelligent Biology / Georgetown University)

Date: 21 June 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Nicholas Wright (Intelligent Biology / Georgetown University) as a part of its SMA Space Speaker Series. Dr. Wright began by posing a question: “How do we create power in space?” He then stated that strategy is the art of creating power in space and that creating this power is fundamentally cognitive, requires both influence and control, and is dependent on the environment. Dr. Wright explained that US (space) decision makers need to think from the “outside in,” meaning that they should place the audience’s decision-making process at the heart of influence. They must also take culture seriously, for example, by considering if strategic thinking differs between China and the US due to cultural differences, and positing the key cognitive foundations that underlie deterrence, escalation management, offense, and defense in space. He then reviewed all of the key factors and associated cognitive foundations that are crucial for successful space operations. Dr. Wright concluded the session by discussing the role of space in gray zone conflicts.