Episode 12: MAJ Joshua Wolff – “Interrupted Broadcasts? The Law Of Neutrality And Communications Satellites”

On today’s podcast we have Major Joshua Wolff, national security law attorney and the Army Element Command Judge Advocate for U.S. Space Command. Major Wolff recently completed a Masters of Law in Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications at the University of Nebraska, College of Law. On today’s episode, Major Wolff and Major Coffey discuss MAJ Wolff’s thesis, “Interrupted Broadcasts? The Law Of Neutrality And Communications Satellites”**, which analyzes the relationship between the law of neutrality and space law and proposes a framework to resolve potential conflict between the two bodies of international law.
Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:
00:00 Introduction
00:57 Overview of Space Law
02:32 Discussion of the Thesis “Interrupted Broadcasts? The Law of Neutrality
And Communications Satellites”**
03:30 Overview of Neutrality
04:54 General Rule of Neutrality
06:13 Current State of Neutrality
07:09 Relevancy of the Hague Treaties to Satellites
08:35 Space Law and Neutrality
10:19 Gaps in Laws and Treaties
12:16 Problems that the Gaps Cause
13:13 Proposed Analysis to Close the Gaps
14:20 Neutrality Obligations in Space during an International Armed Conflict
16:03 Book Recommendations
17:24 Closing Remarks
MAJ Wolff’s Book Recommendations:
“Challenges to Security in Space” Defense Intelligence Agency
“The Shadow War: Inside the Modern-Day Undeclared Battles Waged Against America” by Jim Sciutto
“Eccentric Orbits” by John Bloom*
“Space 2.0” by Rod Pyle
*CORRECTION: In the episode, Major Wolff referred to the author of “Eccentric Orbits” as “Joe Bob Briggs”. “Joe Bob Briggs” is the alter ego of John Bloom, the credited author of “Eccentric Orbits”. Mr. Bloom has also publishes under that name. This serves as the correction that the credited author of “Eccentric Orbits” is John Bloom.
**UPDATE: Major Wolff’s Paper is in pre-publication review. This blogpost will be updated with a link once the paper is published.
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***Music by Joseph McDade
****The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.