The Week that Will Be

Event Announcements (More details on the Events Calendar)

Monday, July 13th at 12:30 pm: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation will host a lunch briefing on How to Avoid a Frozen Conflict: Transatlantic Approaches to the Ukraine and Russia. Speakers will include: Member of the German Parliament, Hon. Niels Annen, Matthew Rojansky (discussant) of the Wilson Center, and John Hudson (moderator) of Foreign Policy. Lunch will be provided. More details here.

Monday, July 13th at 1:30 pm: Director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Kathleen Hicks will moderate a military strategy forum featuring Christine E. Wormuth, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy on Defense Policy Priorities in an Age of Rapid Change. CSIS will host the event. RSVP here.

Tuesday, July 14th at 10 am: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold an open hearing on Implications of a Nuclear Agreement with Iran (Part II). The speakers will include: Joseph Lieberman of Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Nicholas Burns of the Kennedy School of Government and former NSA and CIA Director Michael Hayden. Watch the live webcast here.

Tuesday, July 14th at 7 pm: At the Charles Koch Institute, a panel of leading voices in foreign policy will discuss Libya, Interventionism, and the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy. Register for the event or the live webcast here.

Wednesday, July 15th at 8 am: FHI 360 will host The Crypto Summit, an all-day event featuring crypto war veterans, academics, corporate and government representatives, technologists, experts, and users in an interactive format. Sessions will be designed to brief attendees on the history of encryption policy, the technology behind encryption, the legal landscape, and the different views of the future based on the outcomes from the ongoing debate. While the event will focus on current and proposed laws and policies in the United States, it will also examine the global debate, including the discussions happening in the UK, China, and elsewhere, as well as exploring how domestic policies impact users internationally. Register or click here to participate remotely.

Wednesday, July 15th at 9:30 am: At the Atlantic Council, a panel of experts will consider the question at hand: Can the IAEA Effectively Verify an Agreement Between Iran and the P5+1? The conversation will include Thomas Shea, a former safeguards official at the IAEA and Jim Walsh of MIT. It will be moderated by Barbara Slavin, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council with an introduction from former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Green Miller, senior advisor to Search for Common Ground's US-Iran program.

Employment Announcements (More details on the Job Board)

Lawfare Internship

Internship Summary

This fall internship, beginning in September 2015, is a paid opportunity for undergraduate students in their junior year or senior year, recent college graduates or graduate students with an interest in national security. Interns will be responsible for helping to run and maintain Lawfare, a website devoted to serious, non-ideological discussion of national security legal and policy issues. Lawfare has emerged as the internet’s indispensable resource for information and analysis on the law of national security. Devoted to “Hard National Security Choices,” the site features top-quality writing and analysis from experts on developing stories in the national security arena, relevant legislation, and judicial opinions. It is a digital magazine that includes a podcast, a book review, research tools, a daily news roundup, an events calendar, and exhaustive coverage of events other media touch only glancingly.

This internship pays an hourly rate of $10.50, and ideally applicants will work part-time during regular business hours (dependent on the applicant’s school schedule), with some flexibility around an academic course schedule. The internship is based in Washington, DC and will last approximately 10- 12 weeks (depending on the start date).

Primary Responsibilities

The Lawfare intern’s responsibilities fall into three categories:

Writing:

- Work with Associate Editor to monitor national security and foreign policy developments, and 2-3 times per week, co-write “Today’s Headlines and Commentary.”
- Work with Associate Editor to co-write “The Week that Will Be,” a weekly feature that outlines upcoming events, academic announcements, and employment announcements.
- Work with the Associate Editor to co-write a regular deep-dive analytical piece on a relevant national security law and policy issue.
- Sole-author “The Week that Was,” a weekly piece that provides a guide to the week’s Lawfare content.

Research:

- Provide research support to the Lawfare editorial team as needed. Current projects include a book manuscript on data and technology proliferation and their implications for security; a paper on technology and privacy; and a paper on military justice.
- Work to develop the Lawfare Wiki by taking a deep research dive into one or two areas of national security law. The intern will identify key primary source materials, summarize relevant documents, and create and develop the topic page on Lawfare.

Maintaining the blog:

- Tag and categorize all Lawfare posts
- Track relevant Congressional hearings
- Track and add relevant events to the Events Calendar

In addition to their primary responsibilities, interns will have the opportunity to attend internal meetings, hearings on Capitol Hill, local think tank events, professional development workshops, and public Brookings events as well as participate on Brookings sports teams and network with other interns throughout the Institution.

Education/Skills/ Experience

Graduate or undergraduate student (who has completed their sophomore year) working towards a degree in government, political science and law are encouraged to apply. Recent college graduates are also eligible to apply. Our most successful interns have very strong writing, analytical, and research skills, as well as excellent verbal and organizational skills---preferably demonstrated through prior independent research or previous experience internships.

Application Procedure

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To be considered, applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Applicants should apply online at the Brookings portal, uploading two documents when prompted:

1. A cover letter highlighting your educational experience and skills, along with an explanation of how this internship will contribute to your professional goals; and

2. A resume along with college transcripts and contact information for three academic or professional references. Unofficial transcripts and letters of recommendation rather than references are acceptable.

Law Student Volunteer, Academic Year

About the Office:

The National Security Division's (NSD) Office of Law and Policy, United States Department of Justice, seeks interns for positions located in Washington, D.C. The mission of NSD is to coordinate the Department's efforts in carrying out its top priority of preventing and combating terrorism and protecting the national security. NSD provides legal and policy advice on national security matters, litigates counterterrorism, counterespionage and foreign intelligence surveillance matters, represents the Government before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and other federal trial and appellate courts, and conducts oversight over Federal Bureau of Investigation national security investigations and foreign intelligence collection. The Office of Law and Policy is responsible for, among other things, resolving novel and complex legal issues relating to national security that arise from the work of the Division and other parts of the Department; providing advice and guidance to Department leadership, the Intelligence Community, and other Executive Branch agencies on matters of national security law and policy; overseeing the development of legislation, guidelines, and other policies in the area of national security; working with foreign governments on a variety of national security issues; and handling appeals that arise in national security cases. The Office works with a variety of other Department components, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Legal Counsel, and the Office of Legal Policy, as well as other departments and agencies, such as the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State.

Job Description:

Intern projects include: researching legal questions, drafting memoranda or other legal and policy analysis, factual research, and assisting with presentations and supporting materials.

Qualifications:

Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. law school at the time of application and throughout their internship. Strong research and writing skills are required. Prior interest or experience in the area of national security would be useful, but is not required. By the time of the internship, all applicants must have taken one or more of the following courses: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, or Constitutional Law. Additional courses addressing criminal law and litigation or national security or intelligence law, would also be helpful.

Salary:

Internships are unpaid. If your school offers interns academic or work study, we will work with you to meet school requirements whenever possible.

Application Process:

Cover letter, resume with two references, transcript (official or unofficial), and a writing sample (not to exceed ten pages). Please submit these materials AS ONE PDF via email to office.of.law.and.policy-internship@usdoj.gov

The subject line should read: “[Last name] Intern Application”. Paper or faxed applications will not be considered.

National Security Division
Washington, DC 20530
ATTN: Intern Program Coordinator (Office of Law and Policy)

Application Deadline:

Spring 2016 - September 1, 2015
Fall 2016 - April 15, 2016

Please send all applications to the email address office.of.law.and.policy-internship@usdoj.gov

Number of Positions: 2