Dr. Matthew Jenkins ('23) will discuss what drives states to pursue a space policy and the competitive landscape that is outer space.

About the Lecture: 

The lecture provides a historical overview of space competition, highlighting what drives states to go to space. The lecture concludes with an overview of the new landscape of space power competition in 2023 and highlights the role of non-state actors, commercial space, and dual-use systems including how they all combine to make space less transparent, and more unstable than it has ever been.

About the Speaker: 

Dr. Matthew Jenkins (’23) had spent 16 years serving in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, where he built and operated satellites to support the military and the Intelligence Community. He was ready to learn additional skills beyond engineering. After falling in love with strategic-level policy during an assignment on Capitol Hill, he decided to pursue IWP’s Doctor of Statecraft of National Security to connect his technical expertise to an in-depth understanding of space policy issues. As a result, he has interfaced with the National Space Council at the Executive Office of the President and briefed the House Homeland Security Committee staff on emerging space challenges.

***Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/
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The Changing Dynamics of Outer Space Competition with Dr. Matthew Jenkins

About the Lecture:
The Wagner Group has operated as a manifestation of Russian influence, supporting critical Russian interests in key domains across the globe. The organization, originally founded in 2014 by oligarch businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin as a private mercenary force, has become one of the more prolific instruments of power projection in the Russian geopolitical arsenal.

About the Speaker:
Dr. John R. McCarthy is currently the Senior Program Advisor with the US Navy’s only explosives, weapons, and foreign materiel Technical Exploitation command. In 2006, John was recruited from the private sector by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division and subsequently mobilized as a naval reserve officer to initiate programmatic, infrastructure, and organizational development for the newly established Technical Support Detachment (TSD), which was to specialize in investigating, exploiting, and attacking the improvised explosive device (IED) manufacturing network on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. The command, renamed Expeditionary Exploitation Unit ONE (EXU-1), now spans the globe working with Combatant Commanders, Special Operations Command and forces, and the Intelligence Community supporting technical exploitation, technical intelligence collection, counterterrorism, and irregular warfare activities.

Prior to his return to active-duty military and current federal service, John held a senior leadership position supporting business and financial operations at a non-profit healthcare organization and was a technical business development executive for a global specialty chemical manufacturer serving the industrial sector, for over 16 years. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor and part time faculty of leadership & management and other business and intelligence disciplines for a number of universities, since 2004.

Educationally, Dr. McCarthy holds a Graduate Certificate of Intelligence Studies (Strategic Intelligence in Special Operations concentration), a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) degree, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Organization and Management with a specialization in Leadership studies.

Always seeking to enhance and broaden his knowledge base, Dr. McCarthy remains engaged in continuous learning opportunities and is a currently enrolled in IWP’s Certificate of Graduate Study program focusing on Statecraft and National Security.

Wagner Group: The Privatization of the Instruments of National Power

About the Lecture: Until about two decades ago, Israel imported 98 percent of its energy requirements from far off places on the globe. Although located in a region rich in oil and gas, relation of political enmity with the producers effectively rendered the Jewish state an energy island, isolated from intra-regional energy trade and electricity grids. Securing energy supply from abroad has always been a major concern of Israeli policymakers. However, with the discovery of natural gas in its Mediterranean waters, Israel’s energy-dependent status is changing rapidly. Today, close to 70 percent of Israel’s electricity is generated from natural gas; the rest comes from imported coal. Israel’s transportation still relies exclusively on imported oil, a small amount of which is also used in industrial, residential and commercial sectors. To meet its growing energy requirement and vulnerability vis-à-vis the imports of fossil fuels, Israel – similar to other large energy consumers, such as, India, China and Turkey – has evolved a multi-faceted energy security strategy, which has six essential components. These include, broadening of import; pursuit of proximate supply sources; constant search for indigenous energy; development of renewables and alternatives; ensuring physical security of energy installations; and promotion of energy efficiency. This lecture will talk about each of these components and assess the on-going transformation of Israel’s energy status from import-dependency to energy self-sufficiency that is underpinned by the gas discoveries.

About the Speaker: Dr. Sujata Ashwarya is Associate Professor in the Centre for West Asian Studies [Middle Eastern], Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. She received her MPhil and PhD degrees in West Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She was awarded research fellowships at the Rothberg International School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (MSH) and Centre d’Etudes et des Recherches Internationales (CERI), Paris; and the Schusterman Centre for Israel Studies, Brandeis University, USA. She was also affiliated as a researcher at the Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Iran. Her research interests cover a wide range of areas related to politics, economics and international relations of West Asia. Of primary focus are the domestic development, foreign policy and strategic-security issues (especially those related to Iran, Iraq and Israel), politics of energy, conflict and peace-making, and themes related to civil society and democratization in the region. She also has a strong interest in exploring India’s West Asia policy. A frequent traveler, Dr Ashwarya has presented more than 50 research papers in national and international conferences and seminars. She has more than 30 published research articles and has written, edited and co-edited 5 books. Her books include, Israel’s Mediterranean Gas: Domestic Governance, Economic Impact, and Strategic Implications (Routledge, 2019), Contemporary West Asia: Perspectives on Change and Continuity (co-edited; Routledge, 2019); India-Iran Relations: Progress, Problems and Prospects (Routledge, 2017); Essays on Iran and Israel: An Indian Perspective(Knowledge World, 2014); and Civil Society, Democracy and State in West Asia (edited; New Century, 2010).

Israel’s Energy Security and Strategy: Changing Dynamics in the Age of Gas

The Institute of World Politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of the principles of the American political economy and the Western moral tradition.

**Please note that the views expressed by our guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.**

Wagner Group: The Privatization of the Instruments of National Power

The Institute of World Politics

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