Explore Our Past Omaha Seminars

1001 Cass Street, Omaha, Nebraska

Speakers:

  • Maj. Keira Poellet, US Cyber Command
    "Spectrum of Cyberspace Operations"
  • Professor Jack Beard, UNL College of Law (former Assoc. Dep. General Counsel (International Affairs), DOD)
    "International Law and Conflict in Cyberspace: The Perils of Information as a Weapon and a Target"
  • Professor Frans von der Dunk, UNL College of Law (consultant to Dutch government)
    "The EU Code of Conduct for Space and Military Operations in Space"
  • Professor Matthew Schaefer, UNL College of Law (former Director, International Econ. Affairs, National Security Council -White House)
    "International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) Impact on Space Debris Remediation"

Speakers:

  • Matthew Burris, Chief of Space Law, USSTRATCOM;
  • Phil Meek, former Assoc. General Counsel (International Affairs), Air Force General Counsel's Office (Pentagon);
  • Michel Bourbonniere, Legal Counsel, Dept. of Justice, Canadian Space Agency, Government of Canada;
  • Professor Frans Von Der Dunk, University of Nebraska College of Law, Board Member IISL;
  • Professor Matthew Schaefer, Director, UNL College of Law, Space and Telecom Law Program.
Issues Covered:
  1. Since OST Art. III incorporates international law, is international law a sufficient gap filler to operationalize space law?
  2. When is UN Charter Art. 2(4)/51 triggered in space operations?
  3. Are ground and cyber attacks impacting space operations subject to space rules?
  4. How should we delimit the line between space activities deserving a civil/criminal response v. military response?
  5. How does NPD (necessary, proportionate, and discriminate between combatants and non-combatants) work in space? (e.g. military leasing transponders on comsat)
  6. When are laws of war triggered?
  7. Does the air regime providing different treatment of civil v. military aircraft provide any useful analogies or models for space regime?
  8. Does are approach to cyber activities provide any useful models for space regime or visa versa?
Third Annual Space Law Seminar - Topic: "Space Security Issues in the Transatlantic Arena"

November 2, 2009
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Omaha Hilton
St. Nicholas A

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SECOND ANNUAL SPACE LAW SEMINAR - October 6th, 2008

3-5PM: "Rules of the Road in Space: Satellite Threats and Other Security Issues"

  • Darren Huskisson, former Chief Cyber and Space Law, USSTRATCOM (confirmed)
  • Philip Meek, former Assoc. General Counsel (International Affairs), Air Force General Counsel's Office (confirmed)
  • Eligar Sadeh, Assoc. Director, Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies, US Air Force Academy (confirmed)
  • Frans Von Der Dunk, Professor of Space Law, UNL College of Law (confirmed)

With commentary by Major Brandon Hart, Chief of Cyber and Space Law, USSTRATCOM (invited)

Preceded by

2-3PM: "Government Contracting Law With Special Emphasis on the Space Sector"

  • Matthew Ruane, Advance Programs Manager, Boeing Corp., former Chief, Technology & Operational Contract Law, Air Force Command Law Office (confirmed)
Space Law Seminar at Strategic Space and Defense Conference - Omaha, October 2007

The Space and Telecom Law Program hosted a space law seminar on "Formalism v. Informalism in Space Law" in conjunction with the Strategic Space and Defense Conference in Omaha October 9, 2007. Steve Mirmina, Senior Attorney, NASA General Counsel's Office, was the lead speaker. Steve's presentation focused on informal mechanisms for regulating space debris, including exploring analogies in other international law fields to regulation through means less formal than a treaty. Darren Huskisson, former Chief of Cyber and Space Law at US STRATCOM, provided a military viewpoint on formal versus informal regulation, and Jonathan Solomon, Legal Officer, Department of Foreign Affairs, Canada provided a non-U.S. perspective on these issues.

The "off-the-record" discussion among the panelists explored the following set of questions:

  1. While new formal space treaties (or major amendment of existing treaties) are unlikely in the near future, there are an array of informal mechanisms and national legislation and practice that occur to regulate space-what degree of formalism is most appropriate;
  2. Do certain informal mechanisms work better than others;
  3. What factors impact government choices regarding the degree of formalism;
  4. How do the informal mechanisms interact with the formal treaties;
  5. Will informal mechanisms have to become more formalized over time;
  6. How do new space actors impact the choice between formal and informal mechanisms;
  7. Given rapidly evolving technology and commercial activities, are informal mechanisms going to continue to be the major law making device;
  8. How does potentially increasing militarization impact choices between formal and informal mechanisms; and
  9. What "gaps" or issues in existing law most need "filling" through informal or formal mechanisms?