Andrea L. Thompson, Under Secretary of State – Arms Control and International Security

Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson's brief extends from arms control to foreign military sales: from how to manage the arms race in space and cyber,  to arranging for the cleaning up of unexploded ordinance in places like Vietnam. Just back from a trip where she spoke with officials in Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam she told a Defense Writers Group gathering that while Russia and others are offering their weapons systems to the marketplace often at lower prices, "every country I visited asked for more American" equipment and support.

Thompson is a former Army Colonel with a career as an intelligence officer, who served Vice President Pence as his national security advisor before her appointment as Under Secretary.

Thompson and other Administration officials are spending a lot of time on the potential for future conflict in space. The French government recently protested a Russian satellite that moved in closer to a French military communications satellite, leading to concern it Moscow may be developing satellite killers that could be used in time of conflict to knock out the communications of rival states.

Thompson was asked what a space or cyber arms control treaty might look like?

"It may not be a treaty" she said, it may instead be a set of accepted rules and norms that nations wanting to be considered civilized nations sign on to.

As Space News reported it:

Thompson, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, noted that she is not a space expert and would not comment specifically on the militarization of space or the use of space weapons.

But she did stress the need for greater international dialogue on what the rules of behavior should be in space. “We need to have discussions. What is a responsible nation state behavior in space?” Thompson said. At the State Department, “Those discussions are just starting.”

The United States will be participating next week in the United Nations’ first ever conference on space law and policy, to be held in Moscow.

“I look forward to hearing the results from the UN” dialogue, said Thompson.

The UN said the conference will focus on the “legal and policy aspects and implications, both current and anticipated, of activities in outer space.” A central issue is that the resources of outer space are being used by an increasing number of states and non-governmental entities. As more actors engage in space activities, there are concerns that a competition for those resources could lead to international conflicts."

Three students taking classes at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs observed the session and had a chance to meet the Under Secretary. She urged Emily Milakovic, who is majoring in  Journalism and Mass Communication and freshmen  Zachary Nosanchuk and Emily Harms  to consider applying for State Department internships.

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