Space Strategic Dialogue: Space and the Future of Warfare with Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command

Please join the CSIS Aerospace Security Project on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, for the inaugural event of the Space Strategic Dialogue—a new initiative examining the most consequential trends and challenges shaping the space domain. 

The event will open with a fireside chat featuring General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander of United States Space Command, who will discuss the evolving role of space effects in modern warfare, key trends in the space security landscape, and how U.S. space operations are informing priorities for capabilities and investment.  

The fireside chat will be followed by a panel of government and industry experts who will share their perspectives on these security developments—what they’re seeing, why it matters, and what it means for U.S. policy, operations, and capability investments. Brig. Gen. (Retired) Scott Stapp, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, DEFCON AI, will moderate this conversation with Tony Frazier, CEO, LeoLabs; Even Rogers, CEO, True Anomaly; Chirag Parikh, Founder and President of Indutara Space LLC, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the White House National Space Council; and Mike Gancio, Director of Analysis, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Space.

To ground the discussions, the event will feature a set of visual vignettes designed to make space activities more accessible and understandable. These include real-world examples of satellite maneuvering and on-orbit behavior, as well as efforts to disrupt space-enabled military advantages.

This event is made possible by the generous support of LeoLabs.