U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, "Hearing: The Implications of China’s Military and Civil Space Programs," May 11, 2011

May 11, 2011
H-309 U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

DEAR SENATOR INOUYE AND SPEAKER BOEHNER:

We are pleased to notify you of the Commission’s May 11, 2011 public hearing on “The Implications of China’s Military and Civil Space Programs.” The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act (amended by Pub. L. No. 109-108, section 635(a)) provides the basis for this hearing.

At the hearing, the Commissioners heard from the following witnesses: Bruce MacDonald of the U.S. Institute of Peace; Barry Watts of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; Mark Stokes of the Project 2049 Institute; Dean Cheng of the Heritage Foundation; Alanna Krolikowski and Dr. Scott Pace of the George Washington University Space Policy Institute; and Dr. Clay Moltz of the Naval Postgraduate School. The subjects covered included China’s military space and counterspace activities and developments in China’s commercial and civil space capabilities. The hearing reviewed these issues in the context of their implications for the United States.

We note that prepared statements for the hearing and supporting documents submitted by the witnesses are available on the Commission’s website at www.uscc.gov. The hearing transcript will also be available soon and will be posted to the Commission’s website. Members and the staff of the Commission are available to provide more detailed briefings. We hope these materials will be helpful to the Congress as it continues its assessment of U.S.-China relations and their impact on U.S. security.

The Commission will examine in greater depth these issues, and the other issues enumerated in its statutory mandate, in its 2011 Annual Report that will be submitted to Congress in November 2011. Should you have any questions regarding this hearing or any other issue related to China, please do not hesitate to have your staff contact our Congressional Liaison, Jonathan Weston, 202-624-1487 or via email at jweston@uscc.gov.

Sincerely yours,

William A. Reinsch
Chairman

Daniel M. Slane
Vice Chairman

Panel I: Administration Perspectives
Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy

Panel II: Congressional Perspectives
Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10)

Panel III: China’s Military Space Programs and Their Implications
Mark Stokes, Executive Director, Project 2049 Institute
Bruce W. MacDonald, Senior Director, Nonproliferation and Arms Control Program, U.S. Institute of Peace
Barry Watts, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
Dean Cheng, Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies, The Heritage Foundation

Panel IV: China’s Civil Space Programs and Their Implications
Dr. Scott Pace, Director, George Washington University Space Policy Institute
Dr. James Moltz, Associate Professor, Naval Postgraduate School
Alanna Krolikowski, Visiting Scholar, George Washington University Space Policy Institute