MDAA is honored to announce the completion and graduation of our second Executive Program in Global Space and Deterrence Certificate Program, developed in partnership with the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy and Viterbi School of Engineering. This 8 month-long program was designed to educate aspiring senior leaders, practitioners and operators from military, government, and private communities at the intersection of public policy and engineering in the development of closing the gap between theory and practical applications of National Security constructs. 

This one-of-a-kind program offered a unique cadre of some of the nation’s leading educators at USC, coupled with the interaction and briefings from senior military, government, and industry officials, as well as site visits to Vandenberg Space Force Base,United States Congress, the Pentagon, and Los Angeles Air Force Base, and coursework that explored practical applications in space and Defense to the complex National Security environment. The cohort’s capstone projects are listed as follows:

• Guam Defense System – Command and Control
• Defense of North America from the Arctic
• An Assessment of the Viability of Dirigibles in support of U.S. Missile Defense and National Communications
• Space Norms and Orbital Debris
• Integration of Space Weapons in the Joint Force: Re-Shaping Defense Space Strategy through 2030: Balancing Conflict Readiness against Domain Stability
• Cruise Missile Defense of the Homeland

The course culminated with a presentation of their capstones to a panel including Riki Ellison, four active and reserve general officers with experience in all relevant COCOMs, and USC academics. 

The fellow SHIELD graduates have achieved mastery, became a joint team cohort, and will have life-long relationships with learning and access to various mentoring and partnerships that will benefit their contributions to our nation and its national security. 

There are 55 USC SHIELD graduates of SHIELD 22’ and SHIELD 23’. 

We are thankful for USC, our senior mentors and champions, and on-site teams that helped contribute to the learning of our cohorts and making the world a safer place.

Most importantly, we are immensely grateful of our cohort’s outstanding diligent efforts and remarkable completed capstone projects. 

We are building upon what we have learned from this program and from the efforts of this class of cohorts to enhance all elements of the Global Space and Deterrence Certificate Program. 

We look forward to the next class of champions to enhance our nation’s national security in our USC SHIELD 24’ Executive Program.

Winners associate with Winners to Win.

Fight On!