Peter L. Hays

Dr. Peter L. Hays is a professorial lecturer of Space Policy and International Affairs at George Washington University’s (GW) Space Policy Institute, Space Chair at Marine Corps University, and a senior policy advisor with Falcon Research. He supports the Space Staff in the Pentagon and has been directly involved in helping to develop and implement major national security space policy and strategy initiatives since 2004; he also serves as a senior advisor on governance, force design, and strategic messaging issues. Dr. Hays was presented the National Intelligence Professional Award by the Director of National Intelligence in 2014 and was chosen as the SAIC National Security Solutions Employee of the Year in 2008. He served as a staff augmentee at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 1988 and at the National Space Council in 1990. Dr. Hays serves on the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project Advisory Board, was a term member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Space Security from 2010-2014, and is a member of the editorial board for Space and Defense and Astropolitics. He holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School and was an Honor Graduate of the USAF Academy. Dr. Hays served as an Air Force officer from 1979-2004; flew C-141 cargo planes; and taught international relations, defense policy, and space policy courses at the USAF Academy, School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and National Defense University; he now teaches the air- and spacepower seminars at the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting at Quantico and the Space and National Security and Science, Technology, and National Security Policy graduate seminars at GW. Primary research interests are defense policy and space security.