Real-Life Space Rangers Study at Ole Miss Law School

Enter the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law that has trained attorneys in air and space law for decades.

As space activity accelerates and shifts from exploration to sustained activities, the demand for lawyers with specialized air and space training has grown sharply, particularly within national security and defense communities.

"Space is no longer aspirational; it's operational," said Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law. "That shift changes the legal questions dramatically – from how we interpret treaties to how we advise commanders making real-time decisions.

"Our program exists because those decisions need lawyers who understand both the law and the domain."

Ole Miss offers the only Master of Law in air and space law in the United States. Traditionally, this type of degree was for lawyers interested in working with the aerospace industry.

The U.S. Air Force began sending its judge advocate generals to Ole Miss in 2019 for specialized training and knowledge related to air and space operations. Since the creation of the U.S. Space Force later that same year, the program has developed a growing role in preparing military lawyers for the legal challenges posed by space as a war fighting and national security domain.

The JAGs go on to serve in a variety of capacities in space and national security law.

Ole Miss graduates have landed in roles such as advising the chief of space operations at the Pentagon, working at U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Space Command, teaching air and space law at the U.S. Air Force Academy and serving as legal advisers for Space Operations Command, Space Training and Readiness Command and Space Forces-Space.

Some even return to Ole Miss to help lead the program from which they graduated.

Such is the case with retired Air Force Maj. Aaron Brynildson, who worked several years with U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force. He serves as an instructor and executive editor for the Journal of Space Law.

"I loved my time as a JAG at Ole Miss, so when the opportunity to train future lawyers for the Space Force came up, I jumped at the chance," Brynildson said.

While at the university, future space lawyers learn about national aviation law, national and international space law as well as emerging legal issues tied to military, commercial and governmental space activities. Ultimately, they produce a thesis on a related topic of their choice.

U.S. Space Force Maj. Timothy Sutherland is another product of the space law program. He is a legal adviser for the National Space Defense Center.

"The National Space Defense Center develops and improves U.S. ability to rapidly detect, warn, characterize, attribute and defend against threats to our nation's vital space systems," Sutherland said.

Before Sutherland became a legal adviser, the Air Force sent him to Ole Miss to earn an advanced degree in air and space law.

"The program provided me with a deep and rich understanding of the complexities of international law and policy in space," he said. "Many of the operations and products we produce at the NSDC have significant international law and U.S. policy implications."

Advising the nation's space commands, the mission proves that in today's space race, reaching "to infinity and beyond" requires not just rockets, but the study of law.

"My studies at Ole Miss provided me with a strong foundation that I apply daily in my NSDC role," Sutherland said.

Top: The Center for Air and Space Law at the Ole Miss law school is helping train judge advocate generals for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. The demand for lawyers with specialized air and space training has grown sharply, particularly within national security and defense communities, as the United States and other countries seek sustained presence in space. Adobe Stock photo