Gray Space Strategies is a professional services and strategic advisory company that helps builders, doers, and leaders in the public and private sectors find common ground, grow relationships, better understand the world around them, and accomplish goals.

ICIT is a 501(c)3 non-partisan, independent think tank with a mission to help people by connecting communities, ideas, and opportunities with actionable solutions and policies for securing critical infrastructure and the technology enabling it. Our freely available research and educational events offer a trusted source of objective learning for public and private sector policymakers, technology leaders, and business executives. Together, we can defend against today’s vulnerabilities while changing cultures for a more secure and resilient future.

Cory focuses on cyber strategy, data security and privacy, geopolitics, and emerging technology. For more information see, https://www.cnas.org/people/cory-simpson.

I assist clients in the development and execution of strategic initiatives. I am also a member of the cybersecurity and privacy practice working with clients across three service lines: 1) Response, Intelligence, and Investigations; 2) Managed Security Services; and 3) Technology, Privacy, and Cyber Risk Advisory.

▪ Applies a broad understanding of cyberspace operations and applicable international and domestic law, policy, and regulation to help advance client interests and objectives.

▪ Primary legal advisor to a three-star commanded, joint, inter-agency, and multinational task force supporting global counter-terrorism operations. ▪ Serve as the legal approval authority for every mission requiring the use of USCYBERCOM infrastructure.▪ Participate in the planning and execution of all missions ranging from offensive cyberspace operations to mission-enhancing activities, e.g., signature reduction, targeting, and other sensitive activities. ▪ Advise on the policies and procedures governing the collection, retention, and dissemination of data derived from Title 10 operations and its integration into operational targeting and offensive cyberspace operations.▪ Co-authored two operational orders and their affiliated implementation documents for USCYBERCOM, significantly improving the executions of 70-80% of ongoing operations.▪ Assist in the drafting, review, and facilitating approval of all written products authorizing cyberspace operations, e.g., USCYBERCOM and Ares operations and fragmentary orders, concept of operations (CONOPS)—both conventional CONOPS for command approval and cyber-unique CONOPS for technical approval. ▪ Provide legal advice and review, then conduct interagency coordination for every offensive cyberspace operation Ares executes or is considering executing. ▪ Serve as a senior leader in Ares operations and participate in key leader engagements and all critical meetings, routine and other.

▪ Led approximately 100 attorneys and paralegals, ensuring they are prepared for worldwide deployments in support of missions ranging from garrison operations to combat support. ▪ Oversaw and facilitated the execution of the military and legal education and training for the organization.

▪ Hand-selected to serve on a multi-disciplinary team providing advice to the highest levels of Army leadership on general administrative matters, e.g., awards, investigations, personnel policies, and government ethics. ▪ Selected by The Judge Advocate General of the Army to serve as the legal advisor to the senior Army official responsible for the National Commission on the Future of the Army, an independent commission rendering advice directly to the President and Congress on Army force structure, readiness, and modernization.

▪ Led a 17-member legal team (7 attorneys and 10 paralegals) in providing expeditionary legal advice to an elite group of 3,500 special forces soldiers on a broad spectrum of domestic and international legal issues, ranging from law of war and operational matters to fiscal and contract law. Supervised all investigations, criminal prosecutions and disciplinary actions.▪ Served as the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines general counsel at the US Embassy in Manila and other military locations within the Philippines. Assisted in the transition of US counter-terrorism operations from a focus on partnered military to partnered police, which involved significant changes in intelligence sharing, authorities, targeting models, and operational executions.

▪ Oversaw all environmental and operational claims made against the DoD within 90 countries under the United States European Command. ▪ Routinely represented the US and our interests to senior officials of foreign governments.

▪ Led 10-15 prosecutors and a support staff (30 paralegals and military and civilian court reporters).▪ Worked directly with senior DoD investigators, overseeing case developments, charging decisions, sentencing theories, and the preparation of appellate records. ▪ Oversaw hundreds of courts-martial and adverse administrative procedures, participated in several complex, contested trials, and served as a U.S. liaison to Germany on criminal Status of Forces matters.

▪ Led a 9-member legal team for a brigade (approximately 3,500 Paratroopers) on a broad spectrum of legal issues, ranging from law of war and operational matters to fiscal and contract law. Advised on all investigations and disciplinary actions and participated in all criminal prosecutions.▪ Served as the Task Force Pegasus general counsel in Afghanistan and at the US Embassy in Pakistan. Advised on overhead SIGINT collection platform missions and all conventional operations utilizing rotary wing assets for mission accomplishment, e.g., air assaults, close combat aviation, VIP missions, and troop and supply movements. Advised on all deliberate and hasty targeting, SPINS development, rules of engagement, escalation of force requirements, and combat claims.

▪ Led a 6-member legal team (four attorneys and two paralegals) responsible for providing legal assistance (family law, estate planning, Servicemember Civil Relief Act, claims, citizenship, military administrative law) to approximately 14,000 Paratroopers and their families.▪ Represented the United States at trial in more than 20 contested courts-martial, and in more than 100 guilty pleas and other disciplinary actions.