U.S. STRATCOM Advanced Operational Law Conference

We were pleased to welcome author and scholar P.W. Singer to keynote the conference on 6 September. Mr. Singer is a strategist at New America and an editor at Popular Science magazine. He has been named by the Smithsonian as one of the nation's 100 leading innovators, by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, by Foreign Policy to their Top 100 Global Thinkers List, as an official "Mad Scientist" for the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command, and by Onalytica social media data analysis as one of the ten most influential voices in the world on cybersecurity and 25th most influential in the field of robotics. His award winning books include Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry, Children at War, Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century; and Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Mr. Singer's novel Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War, a technothriller crossed with nonfiction research, which has been endorsed by people who range from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to the co-inventor of the Internet to the writer of HBO Game of Thrones.

His past work include serving at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Harvard University, and as the founding director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at Brookings, where he was the youngest person named senior fellow in its 100 year history.

The second conference keynote was from Dr. Brian Weeden, the afternoon of 6 September. Dr. Brian Weeden is the Director of Program Planning for Secure World Foundation and has nearly two decades of professional experience in space operations and policy. Dr. Weeden directs strategic planning for future-year projects to meet the Foundation's goals and objectives, and conducts research on space debris, global space situational awareness, space traffic management, protection of space assets, and space governance. Dr. Weeden also organizes national and international workshops to increase awareness of and facilitate dialogue on space security, stability, and sustainability topics. He is a member and former Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space Technologies, and is also a member of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing(ACCRES) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Prior to joining SWF, Dr. Weeden served nine years on active duty as an officer in the United States Air Force working in space and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) operations. As part of U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), Dr. Weeden directed the orbital analyst training program and developed tactics, techniques and procedures for improving space situational awareness. Respected and recognized as an international expert, Dr. Weeden's research and analysis have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, USA Today, The BBC, Fox News, China Radio International, The Economist, The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, academic journals, presentations to the United Nations, and testimony before the U.S. Congress.

Our final keynote was delivered by Brigadier General Susan K. Escallier, Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations, U.S. Army. Brigadier General Susan K. Escallier was commissioned in the U.S. Army Signal Corps upon graduation from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1988. As a Signal Officer, Brigadier General Escallier served as a platoon leader, and also as an Assistant S3 and S1 for the 125th Signal Battalion, 25th Infantry Division. Following her assignment with the 25th Infantry Division, she received her Juris Doctor from Ohio State University. She holds an LL.M in Military Law and a Masters Degree in Resource Strategy. Brigadier General Escallier attended the Judge Advocate Officer Basic and Graduate Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Brigadier General Escallier most recently served as the Staff Judge Advocate for III Corps and Fort Hood. Her previous assignments in The Judge Advocate General’s Corps include: Trial Counsel, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; Chief of Legal Assistance and Chief of Administrative and Operational Law, 82nd Airborne Division; Office of The Judge Advocate General Administrative Legal Investigations Division; Officer In Charge (OIC) DMAIN, 101st Airborne Division (Iraq Invasion); Liaison to Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance/Coalition Provisional Authority (Iraq) and Chief of Justice, 101st Airborne Division (OIF); Senior Operational Law Observer/Trainer for the Battle Command Training Program, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, 1st Infantry Division; Legal Advisor for the Security Agreement Secretariat (OIF); Military Judge, Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Division Chief for the Investigations and Legislation Division in the Army Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison (OCLL); Staff Judge Advocate, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Staff Judge Advocate, Joint Force Command United Assistance (Liberia), the military effort assisting U.S. Government agencies in containing the Ebola virus; Staff Judge Advocate, CJFLCC-OIR (OIR). She currently serves as the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations. Brigadier General Escallier’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Iraq Campaign Medal (3 stars), and the Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal. She is also entitled to wear the Air Assault Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.