In the News: Sean O'Keefe

"Creation of a separate military service as a ‘Space Force’ is a solution in search of a problem," says Sean O’Keefe, University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership. "There’s no reason to believe that space-related programs would fare any better than they do today under the U.S. Air Force recognizance."

“We’re thrilled to welcome this diverse group of accomplished professionals to be among the first to join the program” says Ryan O. Williams, assistant dean for Washington programs at the Maxwell School, about the twelve students who  have enrolled in this semester’s first-ever offering of the Washington, D.C.-based Executive Master in International Relations degree.

Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership, says no one will really know when the Chinese space station will hit the earth until about an hour before it happens and, after the station enters the atmosphere, any debris that remains will fall to the ground in less than 20 minutes, likely flaming.

"This is more about boosting reconnaissance and cyber security than fighting in orbit," says Sean O'Keefe, University Professor and Phanstiel Chair in Leadership. "You can emphasize more help for the military in space without going to the massive organizational change and expense."

"Crew changes aren't unusual and when they do happen, the reassigned astronauts almost always fly on a later mission," says Sean O'Keefe, Howard and Louise Phanstiel endowed Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership. "The exceptions are very few and far between."

Maxwell alumna Emily Simonson ’15 M.P.A./M.A. (IR) was one of the recipients of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, as part of the Urban Waters team, which created public-private partnerships to clean and revive urban waterways and their surrounding lands. 

"The vice president has an interest in technology and space policy generally, so the council becomes a good venue to put some context to all of this," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

"His [Jim Bridenstine] policy views, voting record and insights on how he may choose to use skills honed as a politician and elsewhere will surely be revealed in the upcoming confirmation hearing. But if past is prologue, he’s qualified to clear the hurdles for Senate confirmation. And I’m willing to bet he’ll prove to be a fine choice as the 13th NASA administrator," writes University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

"Now is the time to find more and better ways to harness the $2 trillion in global R&D spending lying just beyond the Pentagon’s reach. It is also time for the Pentagon to incubate a larger volume of potential defense technologies to outpace an ever-growing range of threats," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

According to University Professor Sean O'Keefe, NASA’s role as a “development catalyst” has been part of the agency’s objectives since its earliest days.

The recently announced two-year funding extension will support a total of four additional Robertson fellows. All Robertson fellows receive funding for two years of study, allowing them to pursue one of the joint degrees offered through the Public Administration and International Affairs Department. 

University Professor Sean O’Keefe says that the new administration faces challenges such as standardizing information technology, the consequences of budget decisions and talent acquisition.

University Professor Sean O'Keefe notes that there will always be tensions that accompany presidential transitions.

Sean O’Keefe, University Professor, says what President-elect Donald Trump is doing, by targeting specific federal contracts, is unheard-of, in a Politico article.

In advance of President Obama’s well-publicized trip to Alaska, two Maxwell professors were invited to advise stakeholders on shipping-channel icebreakers.