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At the core of this project are two central goals. The first is the creation of an undergraduate-level course on U.S.-Japan Space Security Cooperation, which will be developed as part of the Security Studies and International Affairs (SSIA) Department’s Spring 2026 offerings at ERAU, a leading institution in aviation and aerospace; the second is to provide heightened public engagement between residents of the Space Coast and leading policy and academic practitioners in the field of U.S.-Japan space security.

To meet these goals, eight (8) space security experts from Japan and the U.S. will be invited to deliver a public lectures, providing both students, whose attendance will be required, faculty, and the larger public in and around the Space Coast with a unique opportunity to engage directly with leaders in the field, fostering an exchange of ideas that bridges theoretical knowledge with real-world perspectives. Through this dialogue, the project seeks to inspire students aspiring to pursue security-related careers in government policy and space industry advancement.

The project explores key questions in U.S.-Japan space security cooperation, such as: How can both nations enhance collaboration to address shared security challenges in space? What strategic and policy gaps exist, and how can these gaps be bridged to strengthen bilateral cooperation? Through these and other discussions, ERAU students and lecture attendees will gain insights into the complex dynamics of space security, and the challenges and opportunities inherent in U.S.-Japan cooperation in the space domain.

The proposed project thus has the following objectives:

1) Educational Outreach: The course and public lectures will deepen understanding of U.S.-Japan Space Security Cooperation and expose the audience to leading scholars and practitioners in this field; impact will be furthered through the creation of a sharable course dossier, a special issue journal written by undergraduate students, and the development of a grant proposal funding a topic-focused workshop in 2027.
2) Promoting Dialogue: The project will encourage the exchange of ideas between leading experts and the next generation of security professionals and industry leaders;
3) Fostering Next-Generation Solutions: The project aims to inspire innovative thinking on a global issue of mutual importance in the next generation of military and civilian policymakers and practitioners.