Skip to content

Maxwell School News and Commentary

Filtered by: U.S. National Security

Jacobson weighs in on acting Secretary of Defense Miller in Politico

"Conspiratorial minded persons may think this change is about chain-of-command and putting the SecDef in direct control of [Special Operations Command] but that’s wrong — this move changes nothing operationally," says Mark Jacobson, assistant dean of Washington programs. However, Jacobson expresses concern about the "timing" of the move and "Miller’s motivations." "You don’t make a major bureaucratic change in an institution, particularly with regards to organizations dealing with sensitive and complex issues, without thinking through this," he says.
November 19, 2020

Jacobson weighs in on the firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Foreign Policy

Mark Jacobson, assistant dean for Washington programs at Maxwell School, commented on the firing of Defense Secretary Esper by Donald Trump. He said "Our enemies are going to take note of that, they know that now is a particularly vulnerable time"

November 10, 2020

Banks featured in WAER piece on COVID-19 in the White House, national security

"Attention on the domestic political situation and the president’s dominance of the news and his well-being is obscuring what else might be going on in the world that should be drawing some of our attention," says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

October 9, 2020

Jacobson comments on US defense secretary's travel in Politico

"The further away, the less likelihood of being fired," says Assistant Dean Mark Jacobson of U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's frequent travel amid persistent rumors that he will either quit or be fired after the election. 

October 9, 2020

Banks quoted in Vox article on military deployment at US-Mexico border

While military deployment to the border by President Trump is "clearly legal," Professor of Practice William Banks questions "whether the wall construction itself is lawful."

June 26, 2020

Banks explains role of National Guard in PBS NewsHour article

The National Guard is trained to help domestically in a variety of capacities. "That said, they are members of the military, not law enforcement, so they are largely trained to supplement military jobs," says Professor Emeritus William Banks.

June 10, 2020

Banks discusses the Insurrection Act with Christian Science Monitor, Military.com

"You want to come to the aid of the states when states can’t take care of themselves," says Professor Emeritus William C. Banks, about President Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act.

June 4, 2020

O'Keefe discusses USS Theodore Roosevelt COVID incident in NY Times, Washington Post

"At its core, this is about an aircraft carrier skipper who sees an imminent threat and is forced to make a decision that risks his career in the act of what he believes to be the safety of the near 5,000 members of his crew," says University Professor Sean O’Keefe.

April 9, 2020

Banks cautions against use of military during pandemic in Daily News

Most of the time...America’s military forces have remained in the background, waiting for direction from civilian leaders to respond to crises and then only in limited ways," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. "That’s by design. We train soldiers to fight and win wars and deter threats overseas."

April 6, 2020

Banks explains the Insurrection Act in HowStuffWorks article

"The Insurrection Act may be invoked only following an invasion, insurrection or widespread domestic violence," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. "Only if states attempt to leave the Union would state defiance enable Insurrection Act authority. Otherwise the states control their citizens' health, welfare and safety."

April 1, 2020

Explore by:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4 (current)
  • 5
Communications and Media Relations Office
200 Eggers Hall