Join CSIS for a panel discussion on Russia's evolving space capabilities and their impact on U.S. and allied security as well as on future arms control discussions.

In celebration of the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight in space 60 years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Russia needed to maintain its status as both a nuclear and space power in the twenty-first century. Since approving its 10-year space strategy worth $20.5 billion in 2016, the Russian government has been consistently developing and testing its capabilities in space as it simultaneously seeks a U.N. treaty to prevent the militarization of space.  Its reported July 2020 launch of an anti-satellite weapon and the concerning movement of its Cosmos satellites raise serious concerns regarding Moscow’s intentions as its capabilities grow.

Please join CSIS for an important discussion on Russia’s space capabilities which will feature an overview by Colonel Douglas Loverro, President, Loverro Consulting, LLC and former head of NASA's human spaceflight program, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. Colonel Loverro will join General C. Robert Kehler, former Commander of U.S. STRATCOM and Commander, Air Force Space Command, and Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation, in a moderated discussion on the impact of Russian space capabilities on the U.S. and allied security as well as on future arms control discussions. Is this a new space race? How will China and Russia interact in space following their announcement of a future joint lunar station? Finally, what steps can the United States and its allies take to manage strategic competition in space? The conversation will be co-moderated by Heather A. Conley, Director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Kaitlyn Johnson, Deputy Director and Fellow, Aerospace Security Project.

Speakers

Douglas L. Loverro, President, Loverro Consulting LLC; former Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, National Space and Aeronautics Agency (NASA)

C. Robert Kehler, Senior Fellow, National Defense University; former Commander, United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM)

Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director, Secure World Foundation

Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic at CSIS; Director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS

Kaitlyn Johnson, Deputy Director and Fellow, Aerospace Security Project at CSIS