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Category: Homeland Defense

A photo of an astronaut in space with earth in the background. The words ASCEND are in large letters across the top, with 19-21 May 2026 | Washington, DC spelled out underneath.

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.

LTC Abdullah Clark and Dr. Elena Bailey interviewing INSS expert consultant Dr. Diane DiEuliis on the NATDEF podcast

May 8, 2026

INSS Joins NATDEF Podcast to Discuss a Biodeterrence Framework

INSS expert consultant Dr. Diane DiEuliis was interviewed on the NATDEF podcast on the topic of a Biodeterrence Framework.

Headshots of Mr. Todd Pennington (left), Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, and Professor Laura Donohue (right), Director of the Center on National Security at Georgetown Law Center underneath the words "NatSec EmTech: Jurisprudence in ZeroG: SpaceLaw101"

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.

Graphic for the U.S. Cyber Command Legal Conference.

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.

Dr. Phillip Saunders, director of NDU's Institute for Strategic Studies, Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, leads an interactive discussion on the impacts of senior PLA leadership purges on the second day of the conference.

April 27, 2026

INSS Participates in 2026 Carlisle Conference on the PLA

INSS's Dr. Phillip Saunders, Dr. Elliot Ji, and Dr. Joel Wuthnow participated in the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute’s annual Carlisle Conference on the PLA on March 25 and 26, 2026, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Cover of “Targets, Treaties, and Trade Secrets: Understanding Space Hybrid Architecture’s Legal Challenges,” showing satellites orbiting Earth; by Kim Sloan and Todd Pennington, April 2026.

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.

An image of Earth from the point of view in space with a satellite in the frame. Assured PNT Summit written in the top left.

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.

A graphic for the episode, "Strategy in Cislunar Space and Beyond" for The Space Advisory Podcast, featuring Mr. Todd Pennington. Todd Pennington is featured prominently on the right-hand side in front of a blue background with details about the podcast on the left-hand side.

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).

Cover Image for Terrorism and Political Violence, Volume 38, Issue 2, (2026), Special Issue: A Legacy of David C. Rapoport

March 10, 2026

From Theory to Policy: The Four Waves and U.S. Counterterrorism

This article examines United States (U.S.) counterterrorism policy through the lens of David C. Rapoport’s four waves theory.

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program dolphin trainers tend to their dolphins before a flight from Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., to NMMP in San Diego

March 4, 2026

Neuromodulating Mammals for Military Operations: Ethical Responsibility and Governance in Security Domains

Research into consideration and possible utility of employing marine mammals in military support operations is nothing new.

INSS Around the Web | May 8, 2026

INSS Joins NATDEF Podcast to Discuss a Biodeterrence Framework

INSS expert consultant Dr. Diane DiEuliis was interviewed on the NATDEF podcast on the topic of a Biodeterrence Framework.
China | April 27, 2026

INSS Participates in 2026 Carlisle Conference on the PLA

INSS's Dr. Phillip Saunders, Dr. Elliot Ji, and Dr. Joel Wuthnow participated in the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute’s annual Carlisle Conference on the PLA on March 25 and 26, 2026, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Homeland Defense | March 10, 2026

From Theory to Policy: The Four Waves and U.S. Counterterrorism

This article examines United States (U.S.) counterterrorism policy through the lens of David C. Rapoport’s four waves theory.
INSS Around the Web | March 4, 2026

Neuromodulating Mammals for Military Operations: Ethical Responsibility ...

Research into consideration and possible utility of employing marine mammals in military support operations is nothing new.
China | March 2, 2026

Why Is Xi Still Purging His Generals?

The removal of PLA senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in January 2026 represented the peak, if not the end, of a massive purge of the military leadership that began in mid-2023.
China | Feb. 25, 2026

Assessing Xi’s Unprecedented Purges of China’s Military: Key Development...

On January 24, 2026, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the military’s top general, Zhang Youxia, and the chief of the Joint Staff Department, Liu Zhenli, had been placed under investigation for serious disciplinary and legal
China | Feb. 25, 2026

The Danger in the Middle: Will Xi’s Purges Increase the Risk of War?

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has purged dozens of senior People’s Liberation Army officers since mid-2023, including two in January, but will this increase the risk of war?
INSS Around the Web | Feb. 24, 2026

Laser-focusing Defense Capabilities

Contemporary warfighting is undergoing rapid and profound transformation. As noted in prior analyses of disruptive technologies and future warfare, the convergence of precision guidance, hypersonic kinematics, distributed sensors, and iteratively
Disruptive Technology | Feb. 23, 2026

How AI Can Help Enforce the Biological Weapons Convention

President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to the United Nations General Assembly regarding the use of artificial intelligence systems to support oversight and enforcement of the Biological Weapons Convention represents a significant milestone in
China | Feb. 19, 2026

To Prevent a Great Power War: Conflict Prevention Efforts and Possibilit...

War between rivalrous great powers (GPW) often is not a deliberate choice.