Johns Hopkins and SpaceNews explore Space Force 2040 future fight

A timely forum on the future of U.S. military operations in space is unfolding in Washington tonight as Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center and SpaceNews host “Discovery Series: Space Force 2040 and the Future Fight.” The panel runs from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. ET at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center Theater, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, and is followed by a reception intended to foster networking among service leaders, acquisition professionals, startups and investors. Advance registration was required.

The session pairs a senior uniformed leader with industry and laboratory executives to examine how the newest branch of the armed forces must evolve to meet growing threats. Participants include Gen. Shawn N. Bratton, vice chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force; John Plumb, head of strategy at K2 Space Corporation; Susanne Hake, executive vice president and general manager for U.S. government at Vantor; and Dennis Woodfork II, mission area executive in national security space at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Promotional materials frame the United States Space Force of 2040 as operating “in a far more contested, congested, and fast-moving domain” than today, and cast space control, speed and resiliency as potential determiners of U.S. military advantage. The program agenda cites geopolitical, commercial, scientific and security dimensions of space; operational realities and requirements for space control; acquisition reform; training and doctrinal shifts; partnership protocols; resilient architectures; and the roles of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum capabilities.

Organizers describe the event as part of the Hopkins Bloomberg Center’s annual Discovery Series, a program designed to convene deep conversations at the intersection of technology, science and public policy. The 2026 installment marks a shift from last year’s inaugural emphasis on artificial intelligence, which featured a four-part interview series with media executive Kara Swisher presented jointly by Johns Hopkins and Vox Media. This edition brings together Space Force leadership, industry strategists and an applied physics laboratory executive to bridge operational, industry and laboratory perspectives on preparing for the 2040 fight in space.

Public listings for the event appeared on Johns Hopkins event pages and Hub JHU marketing copy, on LinkedIn promotions by the Bloomberg Center and SpaceNews, and on calendars such as SpacePolicyOnline and SpaceAgenda. The SpacePolicyOnline entry was last updated Jan. 11, 2026, at 11:05 a.m. ET. Event pages note the panel format and the reception, signaling an intent to mix policy discussion with access to potential partners and investors.

The panel arrives as policymakers and industry debate how to make U.S. space assets more resilient against interference, attack and congestion from an expanding set of commercial and state actors. Discussion tonight is expected to probe whether acquisition reform, doctrinal change and closer public-private partnerships can speed delivery of resilient architectures and operational concepts. Observers will be watching to see how officials and industry executives reconcile the push for rapid technological adoption with the institutional and procurement constraints that have long shaped defense modernization.

By convening senior military leaders alongside corporate strategists and laboratory executives, the Discovery Series event aims to translate strategic intent into practical priorities for the next decade of space operations. The conversation may shape how policymakers, contractors and researchers align investments as the United States prepares for the contested orbital environment envisioned for 2040.