NRO Director Carlson to be Featured Speaker at Strategic Space Symposium Keynote Luncheon

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 5, 2009) — National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Director and retired Air Force General Bruce A. Carlson will be the featured speaker at the Strategic Space Symposium Keynote Luncheon, sponsored by Northrop Grumman, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

Presented through a Space Foundation/United States Strategic Command partnership and themed Advancing Space Capabilities and Strengthening Operations to Promote Global Security, the Symposium will showcase industry best practices, cutting-edge technologies, and emerging space capabilities, as well as providing a platform to discuss challenging space issues and shape space policy. The Symposium runs from Nov. 2-4.

Carlson, who will speak on the first full day of the Symposium, was appointed the 17th director of the NRO in June. He provides direction, guidance, and supervision over all matters pertaining to the NRO and executes other authorities specifically delegated by the secretary of defense or director of national intelligence. Prior to his appointment, he served on the Board of Directors of EADS North America after serving in the United States Air Force. Retiring with the rank of general, Carlson held a number of critical Air Force leadership positions, including: commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; commander, 8th Air Force, Barksdale AFB, La.; and Joint Functional Component commander for Space and Global Strike, United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. Carlson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, a Master of Arts degree from Webster University, St. Louis, Mo., and a Master of Arts degree from the Naval War College.

He joins an impressive group of featured speakers, panelists, and track session/breakout session leaders from the military, Department of Defense, U.S. and allied government, industry, and academia, who will discuss:

• Space situational awareness, defense of space, and protection of assets
• Current space policy and shaping future policies
• Warfighting needs
• Capability gaps in space technologies
   

The Strategic Space Symposium is exceptionally affordable. The military/government rate is only $395 and the industry rate is only $595. Both include general, track and breakout sessions, breakfasts, luncheons, presentations, and access to the AMERICOM Government Services Exhibit Center. Registration information can be found at www.StrategicSpaceSymposium.org or call 1.800.691.4000.

In addition to Northrop Grumman, major Space Foundation Strategic Space Symposium sponsors include:

• Space News: Exclusive Media Partner
• AMERICOM Government Services: Exhibit Center
• Raytheon: Nov. 4 Luncheon – Warfighter Perspectives

Additional Space Foundation co-sponsors include Analytical Graphics, Inc., ATK, AVIATION WEEK; the Bellevue (Nebraska) Chamber of Commerce, Boeing, CISCO, CSC, CSP Associates, Defense Systems, Intelsat, Integral Systems, Inc., ManTech, and SpaceX.

About USSTRATCOM
Located at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Neb., U.S. Strategic Command is one of ten unified commands in the Department of Defense. The command headquarters represents all four services, including Department of Defense civilians and contractors, and oversees the command’s operationally focused global strategic mission. USSTRATCOM integrates and coordinates the necessary command and control capability to provide support with the most accurate and timely information for the President, the Secretary of Defense, other National Leadership, and regional combatant commanders. USSTRATCOM combines the synergy of the U.S. legacy nuclear command and control mission with responsibility for space operations; global strike; Defense Department information operations; global missile defense; and global command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR), and combating weapons of mass destruction. This dynamic command gives National Leadership a unified resource for greater understanding of specific threats around the world and the means to respond to those threats rapidly.

About the Space Foundation
The Space Foundation is an international, nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry – civil, commercial, and national security. Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity.” An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report 2009: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indices that track daily performance of the space industry. In addition to the Strategic Space Symposium, the Space Foundation will sponsor the 26th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 12-15, 2010. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter: SpaceFoundation and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.

No federal endorsement of the Space Foundation or any of its members or affiliates is intended or implied. Sponsorship agreements are with the Space Foundation for programs and materials supplied by the Space Foundation.

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