Elected officials, industry executives and national security thought leaders are praising the University of Oklahoma’s aerospace and defense research efforts that were showcased at a recent symposium held on the OU campus.
Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (R-OK-05) and Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK-05) highlighted the importance of aerospace and defense to Oklahoma’s economy and praised OU for its partnerships with local military installations and the defense industrial base.
“The defense industry in Oklahoma is vital,” said Bice. “It's the second largest industry in the state and provides $44 billion in economic impact across the state, so making sure that we support the industry is vital. I'm proud of the work that we've been doing in Congress over the years, including the commitment from Senator Jim Inhofe to make sure that Oklahoma's defense system is supported and maintained.”
“[Oklahoma is] uniquely positioned, not only by being close to really important military installations, but honestly by having a culture at the university that celebrates working on areas related to the defense of the United States of America,” said Cole. “And frankly, some of the work that's been done in everything from cyber security to aviation, is just first-rate, so I think the advantages that the university has in competing for federal dollars going forward are enormous.”
Gov. Kevin Stitt praised OU’s Lead On, University strategic plan and its focus on aligning research areas with the critical sectors of Oklahoma’s economy.
“We're pushing in that direction with our universities, our career techs, our common ed to actually align with the workforce that companies are going to need,” Stitt said. “OU President Joe Harroz does just a fantastic job, Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, they're all aligned. That's one thing that I always talk to different parts of our education system about. Let's get aligned on a couple of things that we can be number one in the world at, and aerospace and defense is something that we're all aligned as a state to go make this a number one cluster.”
That alignment was also praised by Moe Khaleel, Ph.D., Oak Ridge National Laboratory associate lab director for national security sciences.
“What I saw here is this closeness in thinking, the respect between the various leaders, and the synergy, the alignment,” said Khaleel. “It is very, very interesting. The governor is talking about focus, the president's talking about focus, Tomás is talking about focus. That alignment is crucial, and I don't think you see it in many places.”
Attendees of the inaugural OU defense symposium praised the caliber of speakers and panelists assembled by the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute as well as the university’s strategic partnerships with the government and defense industry.
“For an inaugural event such as this, to have senior leadership from the services be here and presenting, to have former [Department of Defense] officials here presenting, and then to have the amount of academia here the way that they are, it just brings a whole different conversation to it,” said Leanne G. Caret, The Boeing Company executive vice president and senior advisor. “This is a legitimate event that has brought real forethought and insight to the problems that the nation is facing.”
“I think the symposium has provided great perspective,” said Epirus CEO Leigh Madden. “Not only, the OU academic perspective, but I think the [Department of Defense] and industry perspectives have been fascinating. I've actually learned some things, and I’ve heard some things that are directly in line with where we're focused as well.”
“I think the quality of the folks that you were able to get here and be speakers and panelists speaks to the quality of the folks that you have leading the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute,” said retired Air Force Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, who was one of the symposium’s keynote speakers. “Because of that I think you were able to draw folks that, you know, have a lot of respect for those folks like OADII Executive Director Gene Kirkland and Tomás, and the result was you had an incredible crowd.”
“For the university to invest the time and resources to have a gathering, to bring people together, to have one-on-one conversation, and to allow that conversation to go whatever direction to bring out all the ideas or potential solutions, you can't do that over virtual means or over email,” explained Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment Steven J. Morani. “I was elated that I got invited and even more excited that it was sold out and that we had such great participation and great questions.”
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord also delivered a keynote address, and said OU is well positioned to be a leader in the aerospace and defense sector.
“Oklahoma has existing infrastructure right now in terms of a lot of [Department of Defense] installations, but it also has a workforce, and it has a government that is interested in developing the workforce of the future,” she said. “It's also a very inexpensive, central place to live with friendly people, so there is enormous potential.”
Archived keynote speeches and panel discussions from the inaugural OU defense symposium are available for view on the University of Oklahoma Research YouTube channel.
