Newswise — The Arms Control Association and Secure World Foundation invite you to attend a special panel discussion on the Obama Administration’s release of its National Space Policy.

WHEN: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

WHERE: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Choate Room; 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036

BACKGROUND: The new National Space Policy approach emphasizes shared responsibility and strengthened international cooperation. The publicly released policy states that “The United States will pursue bilateral and multilateral transparency and confidence-building measures to encourage responsible actions in, and the peaceful use of, space. The United States will consider proposals and concepts for arms control measures if they are equitable, effectively verifiable, and enhance the national security of the United States and its allies.”

Additionally, the new National Space Policy acknowledges the role of commercial and international partners, demonstrating a clear understanding of the changed realities of operating in the global commons of space.

Panelists will discuss how the new policy is consistent with and differs from earlier policies, how new U.S. leadership could energize existing international institutions such as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the stalled Conference on Disarmament, and make suggestions for moving forward on other confidence-building and multilateral measures.

Speakers:

Marcia Smith, founder and editor of SpacePolicyOnline.com and President of Space and Technology Policy Group, LLC

Ben Baseley-Walker, Legal and Policy Advisor, the Secure World Foundation

Bruce MacDonald, Senior Director, Nonproliferation and Arms Control Project, the United States Institute of Peace

Jeff Abramson (moderator), Deputy Director, Arms Control Association

TO RSVP, please email name and affiliation to Valerie Pacer at [email protected] or call (202) 463-8270 x 100.

The Arms Control Association (ACA) is an independent, membership-based organization dedicated to providing authoritative information and practical policy solutions to address the dangers posed by the world's most dangerous weapons.

Secure World Foundation (SWF) is headquartered in Superior, Colorado, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Austria. SWF is a private operating foundation dedicated to the secure and sustainable use of space for the benefit of Earth and all its peoples.