Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.
June 3, 2026
Multifactorial Considerations for the Neurocognitive Aspects of Military Operations in Space
Addressing the physical and psychological realities of the operational theatre and arming those serving in mission command and control roles with sound tenets of national and international security, have always been essential to military professionalism.
May 26, 2026
INSS Participates in ASCEND 2026 Panel Discussion
Mr. Todd Pennington, INSS Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy, was a panelist at ASCEND 2026, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics' annual conference on spacepower.
May 6, 2026
INSS Joins NatSec EmTech Podcast to Discuss Outer Space Law
Mr. Todd Pennington, Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, recently appeared on the National Security Emerging Technology Podcast (NatSec EmTech) with host Professor Laura Donohue, Director of the Center on National Security at Georgetown Law Center.
April 30, 2026
INSS Participates in 2026 U.S. Cyber Command Legal Conference
Mr. Todd Pennington, Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy, participated in a panel on "Ambiguity in the Electromagnetic Spectrum: Legal and Policy Clarity at the Intersection of Cyber and Electromagnetic Operations" at the 2026 U.S. Cyber Command Legal Conference, held at Fort Meade, Maryland.
April 16, 2026
Targets, Treaties, and Trade Secrets: Understanding Space Hybrid Architecture’s Legal Challenges
Space is a domain accessible to all states for civil, commercial, military, and intelligence activities.
April 9, 2026
INSS Participates in 6th Annual Assured PNT Summit
Mr. Todd Pennington was a panelist at the 6th Annual Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Summit.
March 31, 2026
Strategy in Cislunar Space and Beyond
Mr. Todd Pennington was the featured guest on this month's episode of the Space Advisory Podcast, discussing his recent paper on strategy in space frontier areas (xGEO and cislunar space, and beyond).
Feb. 25, 2026
Strategic Assessment 2025: Evolving Great Power Competition at Mid-Decade
This mid-decade review of contemporary Great Power competition is most welcome because it presents U.S. political leadership and the national security community with an opportunity to reflect on the inherent challenges in this latest round of geopolitical rivalry. Although the turn toward contestation among the United States, China, and Russia (as well as others) was formally acknowledged by Washington first in its 2017 National Security Strategy, Great Power competition had never disappeared from the international system even during the halcyon days after the Cold War’s ending.
Feb. 12, 2026
Understanding Space Frontier Areas
Distant reaches of space loom as a strategic horizon. The vast majority of space operations have, so far, been limited to a few families of near-Earth orbits. However, space beyond geostationary Earth orbit, or xGEO, is likely to become important for strategic purposes in the near future. This is especially true of cislunar space, that region of space in which the gravity of Earth’s moon is significant. This paper refers to xGEO and cislunar space as Space Frontier Areas, since missions there have not yet reached sufficient scale to cluster into patterns of use.
Nov. 17, 2025
China’s "near space" legal warfare
A recurring Chinese narrative about so-called "near space" is an expression of the People's Liberation Army doctrine of Legal Warfare.