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.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

In the News 8 of 40 results

Show More

All Clayton Swope Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 32 results

NASA's Moon to Mars Roadmap: Charting the Next Year

To learn more about NASA’s Moon to Mars roadmap and the role of industry and international partners, please join the CSIS Aerospace Security Project on Monday February 24, 2025 at 4pm EST for a panel discussion.

Event — February 24, 2025

Bringing the Private Sector to Space

Today, U.S. military leaders see the revolutionary potential of commercial space. Now is the time to match rhetoric with action to make sure commercial space is integrated and used at scale in the joint force.

Report by Clayton Swope — January 30, 2025

Audio Briefs

Why Should the United States Prioritize Mars?

An audio version of “Why Should the United States Prioritize Mars?,” new critical questions by CSIS's Clayton Swope. Published January 23, 2025. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Clayton Swope — January 24, 2025

Audio Briefs

Why Should the United States Prioritize Mars?

The United States looks set to elevate the priority of Mars as part of its space exploration plans. Such a move may prompt budgetary trade-offs at NASA with impacts on other space initiatives. Is Mars worth it?

Critical Questions by Clayton Swope — January 23, 2025

Why Are There So Many Unexplained Drones Flying Over the United States?

Residents in several East Coast states are reporting unexplained drones in the night sky, part of a trend in unexplained sightings across the country over the last year, exposing gaps in the abilities of the federal government to track drones in U.S. airspace.

Critical Questions by Clayton Swope — December 16, 2024

Audio Briefs

Why Are There So Many Unexplained Drones Flying Over the United States?

An audio version of “Why Are There So Many Unexplained Drones Flying Over the United States?,” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Clayton Swope. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Clayton Swope — December 16, 2024

Audio Briefs