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Institute for the Study of War · 20 hours ago

Cognitive Warfare Task Force Internship Summer 2026

Washington, DC

Internship

Onsite

Intern

$1,000/mo - $1,000/mo

Start in 2026 Summer

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is committed to training the next generation of national security leaders through its innovative educational programs. Interns will support the development of the new Cognitive Warfare Task Force, analyzing and visualizing adversary information operations and warfare against the United States and its allies.

AssociationNon Profit

No H1B

Responsibilities

Interns will support the development of the new Cognitive Warfare Task Force at ISW, which aims to analyze and visualize adversary information operations and warfare against the United States and its allies

Interns are expected to collect, process, analyze, and synthesize intelligence relating to adversary operations in the information environment, psychological operations, emerging information technologies, narratives, and influence campaigns among other related topics

Interns will also support long-term research assignments and may also have valuable interactions with software partners who are transforming the national security space

Interns will learn to analyze the information environment and how it impacts policymaking, kinetic activities, and strategy

Qualification

Information warfareArtificial intelligenceProgramming languagesData visualization toolsResearch skillsEditing skillsCritical language capabilitiesCreativeDynamic environment adaptabilityOral communicationWriting skillsSelf-motivated

Required

Candidates must have demonstrated interest in information warfare and operations; disinformation/misinformation; artificial intelligence and information technology; international affairs; propaganda and media studies; or strategic communications

Candidates must possess excellent writing, editing, research, and oral communication skills

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

Preferred

Candidates should preferably have a demonstrated interest or expertise in national security or cultural issues, particularly relating to Russia, Ukraine, Europe, China, or the Middle East

Candidates should preferably possess strong critical language capabilities in Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, French, or Spanish

Experience conducting research using primary sources in a foreign language is a plus

Experience with programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, or HTML; and data visualization tools such as Adobe, Excel, ArcGIS and photoshop are a plus

Experience with Excel and other data management systems is a major plus

Benefits

ISW will work with students to gain academic credit for internships where applicable.

Company

Institute for the Study of War

Institute for the Study of War is on the front lines of military thinking.

Founded in 2007

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

11-50 employees

http://understandingwar.org/

Funding

Current Stage

Early Stage

Leadership Team

Kimberly Kagan

President

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Company data provided by crunchbase