Kari A. 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.
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- aschwartz@csis.org
- Paige Montfort
- Media Relations Manager, External Relations
- 202.775.3173
- pmontfort@csis.org
In the News
How China’s spy balloon spurred a rapid shift in US sky patrol
Kari A. Bingen in The Hill — February 15, 2023
Spy balloons: Is the edge of space a new frontier for surveillance or have we always been watched from above?
Kari A. Bingen in Australian Broadcasting Corporation — February 15, 2023
Analyst: Balloon may be China testing U.S. defenses
Kari A. Bingen in Reuters — February 13, 2023
Inside the U.S. Air Force’s E-3G Sentry
Kari A. Bingen in CNBC — February 10, 2023
The balloon affair is a Sputnik moment
Kari A. Bingen in Vox — February 7, 2023
Chinese milestone sets stage for new space race with U.S.
Kari A. Bingen in The Japan Times — November 30, 2022
All content by Kari A. Bingen
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Global Foresight: Preparing for Future Trends
China’s Capabilities in Space: A Conversation with Kari Bingen
Podcast Episode by Bonny Lin and Kari A. Bingen — May 12, 2023

A Contested Domain: From Space Theory to Practice
Event by Kari A. Bingen , Major General Shawn N. Bratton , Kaitlyn Johnson , Dr. Brian Weeden , Victoria Samson , and Makena Young — May 10, 2023
Space Threat Assessment 2023
Report by Kari A. Bingen , Kaitlyn Johnson , Makena Young , and John Raymond — April 14, 2023
Countering Threats from the CCP to the Homeland
Congressional Testimony by Kari A. Bingen — March 9, 2023
Theory of Success: A Conversation with General Saltzman
Event by Kari A. Bingen and General B. Chance Saltzman — February 22, 2023
Launching Into the State of the Satellite Marketplace
Congressional Testimony by Kari A. Bingen — February 2, 2023
U.S. Space Force Primer
Report by Kari A. Bingen , Kaitlyn Johnson , John Dylan Bustillo , and Marie Villerreal Dean — January 3, 2023
Emerging Security Issues in Space Policy
Event by Kari A. Bingen , Makena Young , Akhil Thadani , Honorable John F. Plumb, PhD. , Commissioner Brendan Carr , April McClain-Delaney , and Sarah Mineiro — December 14, 2022
Russia Threatens to Target Commercial Satellites
Critical Questions by Kari A. Bingen , Kaitlyn Johnson , and Zhanna Malekos Smith — November 10, 2022