National Security and Counterterrorism Fellowship

Deadline: 20-Aug-23

The McCain Institute is inviting applications for the National Security and Counterterrorism Fellowship.

This yearlong fellowship brings together the most promising rising leaders engaged in national security and counterterrorism work in the Five Eyes partner nations. Each year, the McCain Institute selects a group of character-driven leaders as fellows — young women and men of extraordinary achievement and promise who have demonstrated their commitment to national security and public service. The program prepares these individuals for future leadership opportunities and builds a professional network that connects them in a meaningful and enduring way.

Executed in partnership with the Australian National University, the fellowship experience takes place over the course of a calendar year with three week-long visits to Five Eyes capitals: Washington, D.C. in the spring, London in the summer, and Canberra in the fall. Throughout their fellowship year, Fellows remain embedded within their full-time work at their respective agencies and organizations.

The NSCT Fellowship was designed by Nicholas Rasmussen, who has brought a wealth of national security expertise and networks to the program. Rasmussen currently serves as the Department of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism coordinator. He was previously the executive director of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). Prior to that, he was the director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) from 2014 – 2017 and a former White House senior counterterrorism official under Presidents Bush and Obama.

Program Purpose

• To identify the most promising character-driven young leaders in the national security community of Five Eyes nations – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States
• To provide those young leaders with a substantively rich fellowship experience over the course of a calendar year, to include tailored leadership training and intensive engagement with senior government officials, national security professionals, subject matter experts and others who will expand both the intellectual horizons and the professional networks of the fellows
• To create an enduring international network of national security decision-makers by linking fellows with peers and colleagues across the Five Eyes partner nations

Program Content

• Meetings with senior leaders at key government agencies, such as the NCTC and State Department in Washington, the Home Office and Foreign Office in London and the Department of Home Affairs in Canberra
• Briefings with top journalists who cover counterterrorism and national security issues in each country
• Events with experts from academic research centers
• Leadership and executive management training to include workshops with premier scholars and national security practitioners
• Visits to New York City, Belfast and Sydney for meetings with local law enforcement and counterterrorism leaders (as well as discussions with former extremists now partnering with counterterrorism officials)
• Collaboration with other fellows in identifying and evaluating opportunities for national security and counterterrorism cooperation across Five Eyes nations
• Possible participation in signature McCain Institute and Arizona State University conferences

Program Structure

• The fellowship spans the course of a calendar year — from January to December — with weeklong visits to three Five Eyes capitals: Washington, DC, in Spring, London in Early Fall and Canberra in Winter. In each capital, fellows have the opportunity to meet with senior leaders at key government agencies, attend briefings with top journalists covering counterterrorism and participate in innovative leadership training with premier scholars and national security practitioners. The fellows also travel to nearby cities like New York, Belfast and Sydney for conversations with local law enforcement and counterterrorism officials.

Class Composition: The 2023 cohort includes 15 fellows from agencies such as the Australian Federal Police in Canberra; the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in New Zealand; the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Home Office in London; and the State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, DC.

Expenses: Covered by the McCain Institute with contributions, when possible, from the fellow’s home organization towards travel costs.

Eligibility Criteria

• Young professionals (35 and under) with exemplary character and a record of leadership, distinction and achievement in national security and counterterrorism work.
• Qualifications
  • Mandatory:
    • Bachelor’s Degree
    • Minimum of 4 years of national security/counter terrorism experience.
  • Desired:
    • Master’s Degree
    • 5-10 years of national security/counter terrorism experience
  • Leadership/management experience.

For more information, visit National Security and Counterterrorism Fellowship.