Kari A. Bingen

Kari A. Bingen serves as director of the Aerospace Security Project and senior fellow in the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), while also holding an adjunct assistant professor position at Georgetown University. Her career spans government service, private industry, and academic research, with a specialized focus on space security and defense policy.

Dr. Bingen earned her degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was recognized as a 2002 National Reconnaissance Office technology fellow. Her educational background established the technical foundation for her expertise in space systems and national security applications.

Her research interests center on the critical intersection of space technology and national security, particularly examining how satellite capabilities serve as both force multipliers and vulnerabilities in modern conflict. She investigates counterspace capabilities of adversarial nations, commercial remote sensing technologies, and the strategic implications of space operations for military advantage. Her work analyzes the evolving role of space as both an enabler and contested domain in warfare, with particular attention to GPS jamming, satellite rendezvous operations, and space debris threats.

Dr. Bingen's publications demonstrate consistent focus on great power competition in space, with significant attention to Chinese and Russian space activities. Her work explores how commercial space technologies are transforming military capabilities while creating new security challenges.

She has received recognition as a 2002 National Reconnaissance Office technology fellow. Her expertise is frequently cited in major media outlets including POLITICO, Financial Times, Defense One, and The Washington Post, where she provides analysis on space security issues.

Dr. Bingen serves on the U.S. Strategic Command Strategic Advisory Group, providing expert guidance on strategic space matters. She previously served as commissioner on the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force and currently sits on multiple corporate and nonprofit advisory boards, offering strategic counsel on space policy and national security issues. Her leadership of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS coordinates research on emerging space capabilities, counterspace threats, and the evolving strategic landscape in the space domain.