Space and National Security

Course Number: 84-672

Space systems contribute a great deal to America's security, prosperity, and quality of life. This course examines how space-based services provide critical support to military and intelligence operations and contribute to national security more broadly. The course is designed to investigate several interrelated themes, weaving together relevant aspects of technology, strategy, and policy. The material is approached from both functional and historical perspectives, beginning with the basics of military and intelligence space operations and ending with an examination of the space- and cyber-related technical, strategic, and political challenges facing the nation today and in the foreseeable future.

Academic Year: 2023-2024
Semester(s): Spring
Units: 12
Location(s): Pittsburgh

Learning Objectives

This course is particularly relevant to IRP majors interested in pursuing careers in the national security or intelligence communities, but should also be of interest to students who want to be more informed about issues that will be increasingly critical to US national security in the 21st century.

Students will acquire the requisite historical background, operational knowledge, and analytical toolkit to evaluate contemporary national security space policy issues.