On June 28 of this year, the White House issued the National Space Policy of the United States, described by some as changing course from the previous administration’s 2006 strategy. Last year, the White House issued Cyberspace Policy Review, and continues to pursue cybersecurity initiatives ranging from activating U.S. Cyber Command earlier this year to proposing the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace–while members of Congress propose over 40 cybersecurity bills.
As these initiatives reflect, our nation, like others, faces domestic and national security challenges associated with outer space and with cyber space. Facing these challenges requires society to address questions of law and policy–not merely of engineering or computer science. These legal and policy decisions must balance competing security objectives, making difficult and important trade-offs while complying with our domestic laws, our international obligations, and our core values as a nation.
U.S. government officials and thought-leaders in industry and academia are currently shaping answers to these important questions. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is convening a conference at the Newseum in Washington, DC, on September 9 and 10, to explore these issues.
The conference will be UNL’s third annual conference on space and cyber policy organized by its College of Law’s Space & Telecommunications JD/LLM Program. Previous conferences have featured senior government and military officials, as well as seminal thinkers in academia. Their speeches and panels garnered national and international news coverage in publications ranging from the Washington Post to Reuters and the Hill. Thanks partly to UNL’s proximity to and relationships with U.S. Strategic Command, which is headquartered south of Omaha, the University of Nebraska is emerging as a leading national institution on questions of cyber and space policy.
The complete agenda and speakers will be posted by mid-July, as we finalize details. I have created a tab on this blog for the event. Thursday, September 8 will feature key note conversations and talks on cyber policy, and confirmed speakers include General Michael Hayden, Stewart Baker, Bruce Schneier, and the top JAG counsel for the Air Force cyber unit and U.S. Cyber Command.
Marvin Ammori 