Kari A. Bingen

Director, Aerospace Security Project and Senior Fellow, International Security Program
Kari Bingen

Kari A. Bingen is the director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She joined CSIS from HawkEye 360, an innovative space technology company creating a new class of radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, where she was the chief strategy officer. Prior to the private sector, Kari served as the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, overseeing the defense intelligence and security enterprises, comprising more than 120,000 personnel and an annual budget of over $54 billion. Before that, Kari served as the policy director on the House Armed Services Committee and staff lead for its Strategic Forces Subcommittee, advising members of Congress on defense policy, program, and budget matters. Prior to entering government, Kari specialized in national security space issues, working with U.S. defense and intelligence community clients, first as a space systems analyst at SRA International’s Adroit C4ISR Center, and then as a senior space policy analyst at the Aerospace Corporation. In addition to her work at CSIS, Kari is an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University. She is a member of the U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisory Group, was a commissioner on the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force, and serves on a number of corporate and nonprofit advisory boards. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in aeronautics and astronautics and was a 2002 National Reconnaissance Office technology fellow.

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Weapons in Space: A Virtual Book Talk with Dr. Aaron Bateman

Please join CSIS for a livestreamed conversation with Dr. Aaron Bateman moderated by Kari A. Bingen to discuss Dr. Bateman’s recent book, Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Event — August 28, 2024

Audio Briefs

Why Did China and Russia Stage a Joint Bomber Exercise near Alaska?

An audio version of “Why Did China and Russia Stage a Joint Bomber Exercise near Alaska?,” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Heather Williams, Kari A. Bingen, and Lachlan MacKenzie. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Heather Williams, Kari A. Bingen, and Lachlan MacKenzie — July 30, 2024

Audio Briefs

Why Did China and Russia Stage a Joint Bomber Exercise near Alaska?

On July 24, the North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted two Chinese and two Russian bombers flying near Alaska. This incident was the first of its kind and could signal a growing willingness on the part of Beijing and Moscow to test American resolve.

Critical Questions by Heather Williams, Kari A. Bingen, and Lachlan MacKenzie — July 30, 2024

2024 Priorities for the Intelligence Community

Adversary threats are increasing in speed, scale, and complexity, and are made even more difficult by the increasing collaboration across threat actors and simultaneity of crises and challenges upon us. 

Congressional Testimony by Kari A. Bingen — May 15, 2024

Global Security Forum 2024: Gathering Strength in a Gathering Storm

Join the CSIS International Security Program for its annual Global Security Forum on April 24, 2024, featuring keynote discussions with General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Honorable Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence.

Event — April 24, 2024