ISW Internship Program Overview

ISW is offering remote, hybrid, and in-person internships for Fall 2022. There is a separate application for the up to $1,000 per month scholarship stipend.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is committed to training the next generation of national security leaders through its innovative educational programs. ISW seeks motivated and experienced college students or recent graduates to join our intern team. ISW offers internships across diverse research portfolios and departments, including Russia, China, Afghanistan, and Iran's proxy networks. ISW also offers internships in National Security Innovation and Emerging Technologies and in non-profit management, including Business Development and Editorial.

Why Work for ISW?

ISW believes that ground realities must drive the formulation of strategy and policy. In pursuit of this principle, ISW conducts detailed open-source intelligence analysis to provide timely and accurate information on current conflicts and security threats directly to policy-makers and warfighters.

Interns at ISW have an unparalleled opportunity to analyze conflicts in ways that directly inform policymakers on some of the most pressing issues facing American national security. Our interns work directly with analysts. They receive classroom education, regular leadership engagement, and a chance to work with cutting-edge technologies employed in business and the intelligence community. Interns have the opportunity to stand at the front lines of military research and policy development, tackling the latest crises in the headlines.

The ISW Internship Program is one of three core education programs housed within The General David H. Petraeus Center for Emerging Leaders, launched to identify, educate, and develop the future cadre of leaders committed to America's national security. ISW views interns as an integral component of its team. ISW has worked with interns to draft, edit, and publish their own research under the mentorship of senior analysts. It has also hired many interns onto its staff.

Business Development and Marketing Internship: ISW's Development Team provides an exciting opportunity for candidates interested in learning more about business development and donor relations at a mission-driven organization. The intern will directly assist ISW President Dr. Kimberly Kagan and the Development Director in implementing our development initiatives and strategic partnerships. The intern will also assist with the mission-critical tasks of developing strategic partnerships, researching potential new institutional partners, drafting communications to prospective and current donors, generating new marketing materials, executing donor events, and assisting with other tasks as needed by the Development Director. The position offers a unique opportunity for individuals with excellent communication skills and an interest in business development to enhance their credentials, gain valuable marketing and strategic planning experience, and make an outsized impact on a growing and dynamic team. This is a full-time internship (five days per week), but part-time work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Qualifications

• Candidates must be motivated and organized college students or recent graduates with demonstrated expertise in a related field;
• Candidates must possess excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills;
• Candidates must display the ability to conduct complex tasks in a timely and efficient manner;
• Candidates should be self-motivated, independent, creative, and capable of working in a dynamic and fast-paced environment;
• Candidates must show commitment to-and interest in-the core mission and values of ISW.

Fall 2022 Internship Program Dates: ISW internships start September 6, 2022. The program will run until December 16, 2022. Interns must both be authorized to work in the United States and be physically present in the United States during their internship tenure. Working remotely outside of the United States is not authorized.

Instructions: Please upload your resume and cover letter. Please include a writing sample in the same document as your cover letter. Your cover letter and writing sample should be no longer than five pages combined; the writing sample can be excerpted from a longer paper.

ISW will work with students to gain academic credit for internships where applicable.