The 2018 AMOS Conference has released details of speakers and topics for this year’s SSA Policy Forums to be held on Maui, September 12 – 14, 2018.
The SSA Policy Forum, coordinated in collaboration with Secure World Foundation, explores international issues related to Space Situational Awareness in a panel format. Held at the start of each day of the 3-day AMOS Conference, the sessions are preceded by a relevant keynote presented by an invited SSA thought leader.
Bringing together the developers and implementers of SSA capabilities and the architects of SSA policy provides a forum to interact at a time when the landscape is rapidly changing.
The topics for the 2018 AMOS Conference and the speakers invited to discuss these important issues of the SSA Policy forum are as follows:
SSA Policy Forum Day 1: Space Situational Awareness and Enhancing Security and Deterrence
There are growing concerns among many countries about the proliferation of counter space capabilities and the possibility of future conflicts on Earth extending into space. This panel will discuss the role space situational awareness plays in enhancing national and international space security and deterrence, and steps that can be taken to strengthen the ability to deter aggressive action against satellites and ensure a stable, predictable space domain.
Maj. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting is the opening Keynote for the 19th annual AMOS Conference
The opening Keynote Speaker for the AMOS Conference is Major General Stephen Whiting, Commander, 14th Air Force, Air Force Space Command; and Deputy Joint Force Space Component Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
As Commander, 14th Air Force, General Whiting leads more than 16,000 personnel responsible for providing strategic missile warning, nuclear command, control and communication, position, navigation and timing, space situational awareness, satellite operations, space launch and range operations. As Deputy JFSCC, he directs all assigned and attached USSTRATCOM space forces on behalf of the JFSCC, providing tailored, responsive and synchronized theater and global space effects in support of national security and combatant commander objectives. He is also responsible for protecting and defending critical U.S. and allied space capabilities.
Moderator: Doug Loverro, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy U.S. Department of Defense
- Ajey Lele, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
- John Giles, National Space Council
- Regina Peldszus, Aerospace Center (DLR)
- Jana Robinson, Prague Security Studies Institute
- Scotty Van Sant, S. Strategic Command
SSA Policy Forum Day 2: Space Traffic Management and Modernizing Oversight of Commercial Space Activities
As the number and complexity of human space activities grows across commercial, civil, and national security sectors, space traffic management (STM) is seen as a way to ensure we can collectively continue to use space in a safe and sustainable manner. STM includes civil aspects of space situational awareness, government oversight of private sector activities, and managing the space environment. The United States recently issued a new presidential policy directive establishing a national space policy and an administrative framework for implementation, and other countries are looking at their own national policies and capabilities. This panel will discuss the evolution of STM, the potential roles of government and the private sector in its implementation, and international cooperation.
Kevin O’Connell is the new Director of the Office of Space Commerce
Keynote Speaker on Day 2, Kevin O’Connell was appointed Director of the Office of Space Commerce at U.S. Department of Commerce in June this year. Before taking on this role he was president and chief executive of consulting company Innovative Analytics and Training.
Mr. O’Connell is one of the world’s foremost experts on the policy, security, and commercial issues of remote sensing technology. For the last three decades he has been intimately involved in identifying, analyzing, and managing emerging threats to the nation’s interests, governmental and commercial. His expertise has been proven in some of this country’s most influential institutions, including: the Department of Defense, the White House Situation Room, the National Security Council, the Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, and RAND Corporation’s Intelligence Policy Center (which he founded and served as a director).
Moderator: Ralph Dinsley, Northern Space and Security
- Bhavya Lal, Science and Technology Policy Institute, Institute for Defense Analyses
- Bryan Benedict, SES Government Solutions
- Paul Graziani, Analytical Graphics Inc.
- John Kay, Defence Technology Agency, New Zealand Defence Force
- Charity Weeden, Astroscale
SSA Policy Forum Day 3: SSA to Support Best Practices For Rendezvous and Proximity Operations
Rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) are a fundamental component of many future space technologies, including satellite inspection and servicing, on-orbit assembly, and active debris removal. But the spread of RPO technology and activities on orbit has also created increased concerns about the ability to carry out such activities in a safe and responsible manner and national security implications. This panel will discuss the role of space situational awareness for helping to monitor RPO activities to increase safety and reliability and reduce misperceptions.
Richard H Buenneke, Senior Advisor, Space Policy, U.S. Dept of State will open the proceedings on Day 3 of the AMOS Conference
The Keynote Speaker for the third and final day of the AMOS Conference, Richard H. Buenneke is senior advisor for national security space policy in the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance (AVC) at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C. In his current position, Mr. Buenneke advises senior State Department officials on the planning and implementation of diplomatic and public diplomacy activities relating to U.S. national security space policy.
He served from June 2011 to June 2018 as the co-chair of an international expert group on space debris, space operations and tools for collaborative space situational awareness, which was established as part of a United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space’s working group on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. He also serves as the AVC bureau’s lead for U.S.-European Union exchanges on space security cooperation.
Moderator: Victoria Samson, Secure World Foundation
- Jim Armor, OrbitalATK
- Lt Col Kevin Amsden, Air Force Space Command
- Tom Kubancik , L3 Applied Defense Solutions
- Brian Weeden, Secure World Foundation
For the full agenda, please visit https://amostech.com/agenda/
The Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference is the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space surveillance. The cross section of military, contractor, and academic participation fuels important dialogue and collaboration on a national and international scale. The continued growth in attendance and participating countries reflects a growing interest in Space Situational Awareness as new actors—national governments, start-up companies, universities, and non-governmental entities—become more involved in space activities.
In addition to the Policy Forums the AMOS Conference includes Technical Sessions, Exhibit Sessions, Technical Short Courses and Networking events. In 2018, the first annual EMER-GEN program, designed especially for young professionals and students (35 and under) enthusiastic about careers in space, will be held September 9-12.
The AMOS Conference is a program of the Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. (MEDB), a nonprofit corporation established in 1982 to focus on diversifying Maui’s economy. MEDB’s mission involves taking innovative actions that strengthen existing industry as well as diversifying through new opportunities.