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 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

Please direct questions to natsecfellowship@mccaininstitute.org.
Download the program PDF here.