Exploring Space Deterrence: A Game Theoretic Model to Inform Future Strategies
“Exploring Space Deterrence: A Game Theoretic Model to Inform Future Strategies”
Speaker: Langeland, K. (RAND)
Date: 5 March 2019
Speaker Session Preview
SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Krista Langeland (RAND) as a part of its SMA STRATCOM Academic Alliance Speaker Series. To begin, Dr. Langeland discussed her team’s game theoretic model of space security and conflict for decision-making support. This model, she explained, seeks to provide insight into the following strategic questions: “Will large investments in space situational awareness really provide defensive advantage in a space conflict?” and “Can messaging and deception be an effective strategic tool?” She elaborated that RAND’s model incorporated models of human behavior into a game theoretic representation of space conflict, used multi-objective optimization to represent diversity within and among players, took place over an extended time horizon, and allowed each actor to make multiple moves. After providing an overview of the game’s design and key features, Dr. Langeland outlined how the game was played and presented the game’s results. She also explained the deterrence and competition implications behind the game’s results. To conclude, Dr. Langeland summarized her team’s key observations and discussed her team’s recent and ongoing analyses.
Krista S. Langeland is a Physical Scientist at the RAND Corporation, where she develops methods and tools to support decision making for air and space operations and space policy. Her recent work includes applying artificial intelligence to decision support in defensive counter space operations, improving intelligence assessment methodologies, and integrating data from nontraditional sensors to enhance space situational awareness.
Prior to joining RAND, Dr. Langeland earned her PhD in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology, where she researched techniques to improve the performance of thin-film silicon solar cells through wave guiding and sub-wavelength metallic scattering surface structures.
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