Shea Cotton

Senior Research Associate

[email protected]
Washington, DC
202-601-2369

Areas of Research

• Export Controls
• US Industry Compliance
• Open-Source Analysis
• North Korean Missile Program History
• Data Visualization

Activities

Shea Cotton supports the Export Control and Nonproliferation Program (XNP) at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Shea Cotton’s primary area of study is on US export controls and their effects on industry compliance. Shea has researched the effects of export control reform on US government law enforcement activities and also the effects disruptive technologies will have on export controls.

Shea built and manages the North Korea Missile Test Database which tracks North Korea’s missile tests. In addition, Shea manages the Global Incidents and Trafficking Database which tracks all incidents involving nuclear and other radiological material falling out of regulatory control.

Shea Cotton also examines data visualization techniques and instructs graduate students on different methods for examining large, complex data sets.

Education

Shea Cotton earned his BA in International Affairs from the University of Georgia in 2013. He went on to earn a Master in International Policy also from the University of Georgia in 2015.

CNS Work

• How the US Plans to Crack Down on Ransom Payments to North Korean Hackers
  Figuring out who is behind a ransom attack is a chronic problem in the cybersecurity world.
• Why insurance companies might be stuck paying ransoms to North Korean hackers
  North Korean hackers make ransoms cheaper than backup and restoration costs, making it likely companies will pay up.
• Expect a Surge in North Korean Missile Tests, and of Greater Range
  North Korea is signaling this will be its busiest year of missile testing yet.
• Judge Juche 2: North Korean (Mis)adventures in Uganda
  We look at a failed construction project, attempts at insurance fraud, and the four lawsuits that resulted when everything went wrong.
• OP#36: The Shadow Sector: North Korea’s Information Technology Networks
  North Korea’s global IT network undermines sanctions and poses grave cyber-security threats.
• Walls and Ladders: The Latest UN Report on DPRK Sanctions
  Commentary published in War on the Rocks.
• The Likely Reason North Korea Has Stopped Its Ballistic Missile Tests — For Now
  This is likely part of an annual slowdown in testing we’ve observed now in North Korea for several years.
• OP#33: WMD Proliferation Risks at the Nexus of 3D Printing and DIY Communities
  Occasional Paper #33 examines the degree to which additive manufacturing – including its distribution and use – may be introducing new proliferation risks.
• North Korea’s Ballistic Missile Program: How We Got Here
  For a country with such limited resources, how has North Korea’s ballistic missile program progressed so far?
• Technical and Political Insights into North Korea
  Warring words, nuclear tests, and increased missile capabilities: CNS experts on the developments and implications.

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