National Security and Intelligence Analysis Internship Summer 2026

Institute for the Study of War • Washington, DC

3d

About The Position

ISW is offering in-person, remote, and hybrid internships for Summer 2026. 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, and Iran's Axis of Resistance. ISW also offers internships in Geospatial Intelligence and National Security Technologies, our Cognitive Warfare Task Force, and in Communications.

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 policymakers 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.

National Security and Intelligence Analysis Internship: ISW is a leading source of innovative analysis and intelligence on global conflicts that threaten American national security. ISW publishes regular research reports and graphics to inform policy-makers, warfighters, and journalists in Washington, DC, as well as the general public. Interns provide critical assistance to our analysts and receive hands-on training from their supervisors as well as a formal development program taught by our leadership. Interns will be trained to use innovative technologies to conduct open-source collection and analysis in a fast-paced environment.

Interns will be paired with ISW researchers on subject matter that best matches their skill sets and language capabilities. Interns are expected to collect, process, analyze, and synthesize intelligence from native language sources under the guidance of our staff; collaborate with the wider research team to generate intelligence products; assist with editing, documenting, and compiling materials for publications; and support the planning, preparation, and execution of public events and private briefings held by ISW. This is a full-time internship (five days per week), but part-time work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Requirements

• 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 should preferably possess strong critical language capabilities in Arabic, Hebrew, Ukrainian, Russian, Mandarin, Korean, Turkish, Kurdish, or Farsi; or a programming language such as Python.
• 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.
• 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. If you attend a US university on a student visa, you must be eligible for and obtain a CPT authorization before beginning at ISW.

Responsibilities

• Collect, process, analyze, and synthesize intelligence from native language sources under the guidance of our staff
• Collaborate with the wider research team to generate intelligence products
• Assist with editing, documenting, and compiling materials for publications
• Support the planning, preparation, and execution of public events and private briefings held by ISW

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed