By Stephanie Pillion
I am spending the summer interning at the Department of Defense (DOD) at the Pentagon. The position is within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (OUSD-P). I have been assigned to work on the Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (APSA) team with the Korea Desk.
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
My internship with OUSD will help me in my job search and career by providing me the opportunity to (1) gain a stronger background in United States (U.S.) political and military policy towards Korea and the Indo-Pacific (also called Asia Pacific) region; (2) learn more about the policy-making process within the U.S. government, including learning about inter-agency cooperation; and (3) learn from subject-matter experts in both functional and regional offices related to political-military issues on the Korean peninsula. In combination with these opportunities, I will be able to strengthen skills that will help me succeed in my career path, such as time management, research and writing skills and networking.
In addition to wanting to learn more about U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region, I chose this internship because I am passionate about and committed to a career in public service. I served for three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana; including one years as a Research Development Assistant with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Post-graduation, I hope to continue to serve my government and this internship will help me achieve this goal.
How does your internship sponsor or agency contribute to the mission of national security?
Within APSA, there are three regions that DOD focuses on: East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Afghanistan/Pakistan/Central Asia. I work on the East Asia Desk, which includes the nations of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea.
The East Asia Desk supports the Assistant Secretary of Defense for APSA. The role of the Assistant Secretary is to serve as the “principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)) and the Secretary of Defense on international security strategy and policy on issues of DoD interest that relate to the nations and international organizations of the Asia-Pacific, its governments and defense establishments, and for oversight of security cooperation programs, including Foreign Military Sales, in the region.”
In my role on the Korea Desk, I help strengthen political-military aspects of U.S. security relations with North Korea and South Korea. This includes recommending policies and strategies to senior DOD policymaker on U.S. extended deterrence strategy and military postures and exercises on the peninsula, North Korean denuclearization, cooperative threat reduction, and post-Singapore Summit outcomes and objectives. An important part of my job is collaborating with South Korean counterparts to communicate DOD positions on key issues, strengthen U.S.-ROK bilateral relations, and integrate ROK views and assessments on key issues into U.S. policy considerations.
Why did you choose this particular country/internship? Please be specific.
Currently, as a Georgetown University, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Security Studies Program graduate student, my concentration is U.S. National Security Policy. I plan on using my time with the East Asia Desk to better understand U.S. national security interests and threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific represents an emerging U.S. national security interest and challenge. According to the 2017 National Security Strategy, “A geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region, which stretches from the west coast of India to the western shores of the United States, represents the most populous and economically dynamic part of the world. The U.S. interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific extends back to the earliest days of our republic.”
My interest in the Indo-Pacific region stems from my undergraduate education. I graduated from Smith College, an all-women’s college, in 2012 with a B.A. in Government. While at Smith, I focused my studies on the foreign policy relationship between the U.S. and China. To better understand this relationship, my junior year I spent the summer abroad in Taipei, Taiwan, studying Chinese for three months. The 2010-2011 academic school year, I studied abroad in Hangzhou, China. Both study abroad programs were full immersion programs, and allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the language and culture of the countries that I was living. Following my year in China, I conducted research at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, at the Centre for Conflict, Rights and Justice on transnational justice across the globe, with a specific focus on North Korea. When I returned to Smith, I focused my senior Special Studies class on the foreign policy implications of terrorism on U.S. – Chinese relations. At Georgetown, I have continued to strengthen my background in this region, including taking a class title “Security in East Asia,” and “Weapons Proliferation,” both of which explored growing military threats emanating from the Indo-Pacific.
How will this experience help you in your job search and career?
My internship with OUSD will help me in my job search and career by providing me the opportunity to (1) gain a stronger background in United States (U.S.) political and military policy towards Korea and the Indo-Pacific (also called Asia Pacific) region; (2) learn more about the policy-making process within the U.S. government, including learning about inter-agency cooperation; and (3) learn from subject-matter experts in both functional and regional offices related to political-military issues on the Korean peninsula. In combination with these opportunities, I will be able to strengthen skills that will help me succeed in my career path, such as time management, research and writing skills and networking.
In addition to wanting to learn more about U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region, I chose this internship because I am passionate about and committed to a career in public service. I served for three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana; including one years as a Research Development Assistant with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Post-graduation, I hope to continue to serve my government and this internship will help me achieve this goal.
How does your internship sponsor or agency contribute to the mission of national security?
Within APSA, there are three regions that DOD focuses on: East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Afghanistan/Pakistan/Central Asia. I work on the East Asia Desk, which includes the nations of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea.
The East Asia Desk supports the Assistant Secretary of Defense for APSA. The role of the Assistant Secretary is to serve as the “principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)) and the Secretary of Defense on international security strategy and policy on issues of DoD interest that relate to the nations and international organizations of the Asia-Pacific, its governments and defense establishments, and for oversight of security cooperation programs, including Foreign Military Sales, in the region.”
In my role on the Korea Desk, I help strengthen political-military aspects of U.S. security relations with North Korea and South Korea. This includes recommending policies and strategies to senior DOD policymaker on U.S. extended deterrence strategy and military postures and exercises on the peninsula, North Korean denuclearization, cooperative threat reduction, and post-Singapore Summit outcomes and objectives. An important part of my job is collaborating with South Korean counterparts to communicate DOD positions on key issues, strengthen U.S.-ROK bilateral relations, and integrate ROK views and assessments on key issues into U.S. policy considerations.
Why did you choose this particular country/internship? Please be specific.
Currently, as a Georgetown University, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Security Studies Program graduate student, my concentration is U.S. National Security Policy. I plan on using my time with the East Asia Desk to better understand U.S. national security interests and threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Indo-Pacific represents an emerging U.S. national security interest and challenge. According to the 2017 National Security Strategy, “A geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region, which stretches from the west coast of India to the western shores of the United States, represents the most populous and economically dynamic part of the world. The U.S. interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific extends back to the earliest days of our republic.”
My interest in the Indo-Pacific region stems from my undergraduate education. I graduated from Smith College, an all-women’s college, in 2012 with a B.A. in Government. While at Smith, I focused my studies on the foreign policy relationship between the U.S. and China. To better understand this relationship, my junior year I spent the summer abroad in Taipei, Taiwan, studying Chinese for three months. The 2010-2011 academic school year, I studied abroad in Hangzhou, China. Both study abroad programs were full immersion programs, and allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the language and culture of the countries that I was living. Following my year in China, I conducted research at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, at the Centre for Conflict, Rights and Justice on transnational justice across the globe, with a specific focus on North Korea. When I returned to Smith, I focused my senior Special Studies class on the foreign policy implications of terrorism on U.S. – Chinese relations. At Georgetown, I have continued to strengthen my background in this region, including taking a class title “Security in East Asia,” and “Weapons Proliferation,” both of which explored growing military threats emanating from the Indo-Pacific.