The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OUSD(P)) provides advice and support to the Secretary of Defense and the Department on a wide range of national security and defense policy issues, and represents the Department of Defense in matters involving the National Security Council, the Department of State, and other Federal departments and agencies involved in national security policy. 

Internships with OUSD(P) offer the chance to observe and participate in policy-making at the highest levels of the Department of Defense.  OUSD(P) has well served by interns who have worked here in previous years, but this year we are particularly interested in attracting a broader diversity of interns, both in terms of groups historically under-represented within our organization as well as students from diverse disciplines that might not typically consider an eventual career with the Department of Defense.  Details on applying:

• Interested individuals should apply by March 11, 2016 for summer internships (although internships are available throughout the year).  Interns are selected through a competitive process.

• The number of hours worked and schedules are negotiable, and dependent on the intern's school schedule.
• To apply, applicants must submit:  (1) a current resume that includes the applicant's expected graduation date; (2) a cover letter identifying the individual as an applicant for the Volunteer Student Internship Program, as well as stating the applicant's career area of interest and the timeframe or dates he/she would be able to work as an intern; and (3) unofficial transcripts that clearly show the applicant's grades and grade-point average.
• Note that volunteer internships do not offer salary, benefits, or conversion to permanent employment, and individuals selected will not be eligible to receive a transit subsidy.
• Interns must be able to qualify for a secret-level clearance, which requires a security background investigation. 
• Applicants must also be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited educational institution and in good academic standing (with at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale).
• Applicants should also have strong writing and editing skills, and have the ability to work in a collaborative environment.  Skill in interpreting, analyzing and summarizing data is also desirable, as is familiarity with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat.