Scott A.

In support of the Air University “Fast Space” study, the National Defense University collaborated with Johns Hopkins University, eight think tanks, and subject matter experts to analyze the utility of ultra-low-cost access to space (ULCATS) for the U.S. military.

Contributors identified disruptors that could achieve ULCATS and Fast Space as well as space
architectures and capabilities that could reduce the cost of access to space. They also offered recommendations for legal, policy… Show more

In support of the Air University “Fast Space” study, the National Defense University collaborated with Johns Hopkins University, eight think tanks, and subject matter experts to analyze the utility of ultra-low-cost access to space (ULCATS) for the U.S. military.

Contributors identified disruptors that could achieve ULCATS and Fast Space as well as space
architectures and capabilities that could reduce the cost of access to space. They also offered recommendations for legal, policy, regulatory, authority, and oversight adjustments that could facilitate
cost reductions. Show less

The military has always paved the way for great new technologies. Some of these, such as satellites, big data analytics, and drones, are also part of a new generation of tools for monitoring, predicting, and preventing food crises. This commentary argues we need to invest more in entrepreneurs who may employ these technologies to help improve security across the globe.

"The development of smart materials has rapidly accelerated in recent years. This is fortunate for today’s warfighter given the increasing number and complexity of emerging challenges, which will require the proper adoption of smart materials now more than ever. With long deployments and the active use of U.S. military forces, equipment like uniforms, electronics, and other capabilities in combat are under constant stress. There is a need to produce power for, and interface with, the many… Show more

"The development of smart materials has rapidly accelerated in recent years. This is fortunate for today’s warfighter given the increasing number and complexity of emerging challenges, which will require the proper adoption of smart materials now more than ever. With long deployments and the active use of U.S. military forces, equipment like uniforms, electronics, and other capabilities in combat are under constant stress. There is a need to produce power for, and interface with, the many wearables and displays under consideration for use by armed forces. The recent chemical weapons attacks in Syria and biotechnology advances like gene editing have highlighted the need for more advanced warning of contaminants and pathogens." Show less

The international development and security sectors have both benefited from an increasing quality of geospatial data and analyses. Currently, the U.S. government leverages vast troves of data to identify correlations between food security and political instability. For this reason, the traditionally separate development and security communities are experiencing increasing interdependence and commonality.

To examine how the development and security sectors can work together to leverage… Show more

The international development and security sectors have both benefited from an increasing quality of geospatial data and analyses. Currently, the U.S. government leverages vast troves of data to identify correlations between food security and political instability. For this reason, the traditionally separate development and security communities are experiencing increasing interdependence and commonality.

To examine how the development and security sectors can work together to leverage geospatial data in ways that identify, mitigate, and respond to food insecurity, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) explored the nexus of global food security, geospatial data collection and analyses, and political instability. Show less

Since the advent of the space age, a primary constraint on military, commercial, and civil space missions has been the cost of launch. Launching objects into space requires substantial investments in launch systems and infrastructure, which has restricted the market to only a handful of national governments and several large private companies. This study explores the possibility of a space industry significantly less constrained by the cost of access to space.

To understand a future… Show more

Since the advent of the space age, a primary constraint on military, commercial, and civil space missions has been the cost of launch. Launching objects into space requires substantial investments in launch systems and infrastructure, which has restricted the market to only a handful of national governments and several large private companies. This study explores the possibility of a space industry significantly less constrained by the cost of access to space.

To understand a future where the cost of access to space is only a fraction of what it is today, CSIS turned to a curated group of space experts, including launch providers, satellite manufacturers, government analysts, space law practitioners, and military strategists. This report details trends in low-cost access to space, identifies key opportunities for further cost reductions and policies needed to spur innovation, and explores new military missions that would be enabled if these trends lead to significant reductions in the cost of access to space. Show less

In the spring of 2015, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a
roundtable discussion with key subject-matter experts to develop practical, actionable
recommendations for ways to shape the future of biometric and identity intelligence in the
security landscape. Against the backdrop of a changing security landscape, the group exchanged
views on some of the key challenges that leaders must address when considering the future role
of biometrics and identity… Show more

In the spring of 2015, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a
roundtable discussion with key subject-matter experts to develop practical, actionable
recommendations for ways to shape the future of biometric and identity intelligence in the
security landscape. Against the backdrop of a changing security landscape, the group exchanged
views on some of the key challenges that leaders must address when considering the future role
of biometrics and identity intelligence in security. Roundtable participants discussed the future
of American security and intelligence capabilities and how biometrics is poised to evolve.
Participants also explored ways in which the U.S. government could leverage this technology and
where there might be opportunities that have not yet been realized. Participants discussed what
privacy concerns and individual rights policymakers should consider when looking at adopting
future biometric approaches. This paper outlines several recommendations for steps that leaders
can take to shape the future security landscape of identity intelligence including: (1) expand use
of biometrics to improve cybersecurity through multimodal systems and incentivize private use;
(2) develop practical ways to increase information sharing; (3) build a robust strategy for
biometrics within the Department of Homeland Security to link multimodal biometric
authentication in the face of new cyber challenges; (4) consider changes to contract vehicles and
experiment with new acquisition models or risk severely outdated legacy architectures at a time
of declining budgets; and (5) recognize the value of software as a service (SaaS), commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), and cloud-enabled systems as possible standard bearers going forward. Show less

The United States has provided support to political transitions worldwide for many years. But it was just 20 years ago that the U.S. government established an office specifically to respond when regimes or conflicts ended and to maintain momentum toward positive change. Today’s conflicts, however, are more complex, usually involving half a dozen or scores of armed groups, and their alliances and motivations are not always clear. Seldom are peace agreements in place to act as a roadmap to the… Show more

The United States has provided support to political transitions worldwide for many years. But it was just 20 years ago that the U.S. government established an office specifically to respond when regimes or conflicts ended and to maintain momentum toward positive change. Today’s conflicts, however, are more complex, usually involving half a dozen or scores of armed groups, and their alliances and motivations are not always clear. Seldom are peace agreements in place to act as a roadmap to the transition. And transition work now more commonly begins before violence even ends. This report, published on the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Office of Transition Initiatives at the U.S. Agency for International Development, consider what today’s complexities imply for how conflicts and transition work might evolve in the future, with chapters on each major region of the world and on topics such as extremism, urbanization, gender, and humanitarian response. Show less

CSIS is now beginning its 22nd year of providing Seven
Revolutions, a roll-up of our research on long-term
trends that will fundamentally change the way we work,
think, and live in the future. Can you remember the global
environment of 1992? The world contained 5.5 billion
people, the European Union was brand new, Windows 3.1
was released, the Mosaic web browser was being developed, and there
was civil war in Afghanistan. Since that time, the Earth has traveled
almost 13… Show more

CSIS is now beginning its 22nd year of providing Seven
Revolutions, a roll-up of our research on long-term
trends that will fundamentally change the way we work,
think, and live in the future. Can you remember the global
environment of 1992? The world contained 5.5 billion
people, the European Union was brand new, Windows 3.1
was released, the Mosaic web browser was being developed, and there
was civil war in Afghanistan. Since that time, the Earth has traveled
almost 13 billion miles, and the changes for those of us living on it seem
too numerous to count.
Show less

For decades we have benefited from Moore’s Law—the
predicted doubling of computer power every two years
per unit of cost. Now, the leader of DARPA’s Microsystems
Technology Office and others are predicting the demise of
Moore’s Law in a decade. That prediction is generous—
Moore’s Law will cease much sooner.

Brief piece on urbanization trends. Part of a larger research project.

Educating Globally Competent Citizens, a product of AASCU's American Democracy Project and its Global Engagement Initiative, introduces readers to a set of global challenges facing society based on the Center for Strategic and International Studies' 7 Revolutions. The toolkit is designed to aid faculty in incorporating global challenges into new and existing courses and programs. As such, it includes case studies; teaching materials (including syllabi), handouts, assignments and assessment… Show more

Educating Globally Competent Citizens, a product of AASCU's American Democracy Project and its Global Engagement Initiative, introduces readers to a set of global challenges facing society based on the Center for Strategic and International Studies' 7 Revolutions. The toolkit is designed to aid faculty in incorporating global challenges into new and existing courses and programs. As such, it includes case studies; teaching materials (including syllabi), handouts, assignments and assessment tools; and teaching resources including books, videos and websites. framework. Show less

This Tool Kit, a part of the Seven Revolutions (7 Revs) initiative to educate globally competent citizens, is the product of a collaboration among the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the New York Times. The Tool Kit provides background and content on the 7 Revs from CSIS, case studies on how seven AASCU campuses have used 7 Revs in their curricula, and teaching materi­als and resources that can be… Show more

This Tool Kit, a part of the Seven Revolutions (7 Revs) initiative to educate globally competent citizens, is the product of a collaboration among the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the New York Times. The Tool Kit provides background and content on the 7 Revs from CSIS, case studies on how seven AASCU campuses have used 7 Revs in their curricula, and teaching materi­als and resources that can be used to educate globally competent citizens using the 7 Revs frame­work. This introductory chapter includes background on the project partners and their activities, clarification of the project’s goals and objectives, an explanation of the context of the project, and an introduction to the 7 Revs framework. Show less

A survey of Turks’ views of the country’s future. It is part of a broader CSIS study effort examining the long-term prospects of important regional states to serve as strong partners to the United States today and into the future.