Zhanna L. Malekos Smith

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Aerospace Security Project, and Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident), Strategic Technologies Program
Zhanna L. Malekos Smith

Zhanna L. Malekos Smith, JD, is a senior associate with the Aerospace Security Project and Strategic Technologies Program at CSIS, a visiting fellow with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and fellow with the Army Cyber Institute at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Previously, she was an assistant professor in the Systems Engineering Department at West Point and a professor of cyber warfare studies with the U.S. Air War College. Her expertise spans cybersecurity, aerospace security, emerging technologies, and international security. Zhanna has appeared on CNN and NBC, and her commentary has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, POLITICO, Nature, Physics Today, and elsewhere. A former captain and attorney in the Air Force’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, she received her commission from the ROTC program at MIT, where she was a cross-registered student and participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. She holds a BA in Russian and international relations from Wellesley College, an MA and associateship of King’s College from King’s College London, Department of War Studies, and a JD from the University of California, Davis. Zhanna has held fellowships with the Madeleine K. Albright Institute for Global Affairs, the Belfer Center’s Cyber Security Project at the Harvard Kennedy School, Duke University Law School, and Stanford University’s U.S.-Russia Forum. She is a volunteer consultant for Hostage US, a nonprofit that supports the families of Americans taken hostage abroad and hostages when they return home.

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The Quantum Man and the Sea of Risks

This commentary discusses navigating the sea of risks in defending against the malicious use of quantum technologies.

Commentary by Zhanna L. Malekos Smith — February 20, 2024

The Political Reality inside Metaverse Cities

The United Arab Emirates and South Korean governments are among the first wave of national governments investing in state-sponsored metaverse platforms.

Critical Questions by Zhanna L. Malekos Smith — October 17, 2022

Russia Launches ‘Musical’ Space Salvo

Russia's space agency recently produced a satirical music video showing the Russian segment of the International Space Station decoupling itself from the station. So just how worried should NASA be?

Commentary by Zhanna L. Malekos Smith — March 16, 2022

Make Haste Slowly for Quantum

Quantum computers could enable to gain a technical edge in cybersecurity, intelligence operations, and economic industry.

Commentary by Zhanna L. Malekos Smith — February 11, 2022