Clayton Swope

Deputy Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Clayton Swope

Clayton Swope is the deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Before joining CSIS, Swope led national security and cybersecurity public policy for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit. While at Amazon, he also worked on cloud policy issues. Prior to his time at Amazon, Swope served as a senior adviser on national security, space, foreign affairs, and technology policy issues for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also worked for more than 14 years at the Central Intelligence Agency, serving largely in the Directorate of Science and Technology. He holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

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NASA Changes Course on Commercial Space Stations

NASA is shifting (again) it's plans to maintain a human presence in low Earth orbit, making changes to how it will replace the International Space Station. These changes will add costs and delays. They are also a departure from NASA efforts to use as-a-service models to lay the foundations of a future space economy.

Commentary by Clayton Swope — May 27, 2026

Audio Briefs

NASA Changes Course on Commercial Space Stations

An audio version of "⁠NASA Changes Course on Commercial Space Stations⁠," a new commentary by CSIS’s Clayton Swope. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Clayton Swope — May 27, 2026

Audio Briefs

What Are the Biggest Space Threats in 2026?

Please join the Aerospace Security Project and Secure World Foundation for a discussion on the evolving space threat environment and the latest trends in global counterspace capabilities.

Event — May 22, 2026

Can Space Be Disrupted Like the Strait of Hormuz?

Like the Strait of Hormuz, space is a chokepoint that can be disrupted. That disruption can be achieved and sustained without having domain superiority, and that, once disrupted, it is hard to return things back to the old normal.

Commentary by Clayton Swope — May 1, 2026

Audio Briefs

Can Space Be Disrupted Like the Strait of Hormuz?

An audio version of ⁠Can Space Be Disrupted Like the Strait of Hormuz?⁠, a new Commentary by CSIS's Clayton Swope. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Clayton Swope — May 1, 2026

Audio Briefs

Unleashing Market Forces for Spectrum Use in Space

Updates to FCC rules limiting transmit power for low Earth orbit satellite networks are a positive step towards optimizing the efficiency and productivity of spectrum—but there is a long way to go to fully unleash market forces for spectrum use in space.

Commentary by Clayton Swope — April 23, 2026

Audio Briefs

Unleashing Market Forces for Spectrum Use in Space

An audio version of ⁠Unleashing Market Forces for Spectrum Use in Space⁠, a new Commentary by CSIS's Clayton Swope. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Clayton Swope — April 23, 2026

Audio Briefs