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25 June 2012

MEMORANDUM

From:

To: Associate Director of Research and Scholarship for Internships & Technology Transfer

Via: (1) LCDR Jason Chiodi, USN Department of Political Science Internship Coordinator

(2) CDR Tom Robertson, USN Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Internship Coordinator

Subj: AFTER-ACTION REPORT FOR INTERNSHIP, SUMMER 2012

Ref: (a) COMDTMIDN/ACDEANINST 1531.73A

A. Summary Information:

1. This After-Action Report (AAR) is provided in accordance with reference (a).

Internship details:

Location: JCS J5 Middle East Desk: Arabian Peninsula division

Dates: 30 May – 22 June 2012

B. Technical:

1. Title of Project: Joint Chiefs of Staff strategic plans and policies directorate (J5) Middle East desk, Arabian Peninsula Division

2. Objectives:

The goal was to learn about the general workings within the Pentagon and, more specifically, to learn about the policies the United States military are developing with regards to the Middle East. I assisted in the efforts our office made to inform and prepare the Joint Chiefs of Staff for various trips and meetings.

3. Approach:

I was the only intern in the office, but I worked with the Arabian Peninsula (AP) team, consisting of the Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, and Iraq action officers. Our primary approach was to do research and interagency work with the office of the secretary of defense to form policies and respond to events occurring in the aforementioned countries. Our research was meant to assist us in meetings with different domestic agencies and foreign countries, as well as to provide talking points and information to the Joint Chiefs in order to prepare them for such meetings.

4. Accomplishments and My Contributions to the Project:

I put together many binders of information for the Joint Chiefs and the chain of command within my division to assist them at various meetings. Also, I attended a conference about terrorism in Nigeria and provided the Africa division with a read-out I wrote up to inform their director about recent developments in the country. I spent much of my time researching information about the countries in the AP division.

5. Publications and/or Presentations:

I attended a conference about terrorism in Nigeria and provided the Africa division with a read-out I wrote up afterwards to inform their director, as well as the J5 director, about recent developments and attacks in the country concerning terrorist groups such as Boko Haram.

C. Administrative

The logistics for the internship were not as simple as I originally expected. The internship was cancelled for a few months, and I did not even receive word that it was still going to occur until I emailed the faculty coordinator in April asking whether it was going to happen or not. Because of this, I was not able to be screened for a TS/SCI clearance, so the information I had access to at the internship was somewhat limited. In addition, I did not have computer access throughout the internship. Even though I still had a very rewarding experience and learned a lot, I would have been much more useful as an intern if I had had computer access. The travel orders were simple to fill out.

I was lucky enough to stay in an apartment my parents rented me for a month that was very close to a metro station, but the cadets from West Point interning at the Pentagon all stayed in American University dorms. They said these accommodations were fine, and they did not have a very long commute to the Pentagon. Also, staying in a college dorm in the area is a much less expensive option that I wish I had looked into more closely. Having a metro card was one of the most important factors of living in Washington, D.C. for the summer.

D. Evaluation

1. Relevance:

The internship was directly relevant to my major and hopeful career path in the future. Being an Arabic major, I was very fortunate to be surrounded by people with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Middle East. I met multiple Arabic speakers there and learned a lot from them about pursuing regional and language studies. I learned so much about the interactions between U.S. military leaders and the leaders of Middle Eastern countries. Although I spent much of my time learning about the Middle East, I also learned much more than I expected to about leadership. The division chief in the AP office, CAPT Landis, USN, as well as LtCol Tavuchis and many other officers, were always willing to talk to me about their experiences in their respective services and teach me about their styles of leadership. I was very glad to learn all that I did about the Middle East, but the most important things I learned were about leadership and being a military officer.

2. Impact:

This experience convinced me that I want to pursue a career in the military. Before I began the internship, I was not sure about how long I wanted to remain in the Navy after the five year commitment after graduation. Because of the internship, I have become much more interested in pursuing a long naval career. Of course, I have no idea what the coming years will bring, but the people I talked to at the internship definitely made me more aware of the pros and cons of making the military a long-lasting career. The experience also made me even more interested in Middle Eastern studies. The contacts I made in the office and around the Pentagon helped reaffirm my interest in Arabic and Middle Eastern culture.

3. Level of Interest/challenge:

I was not sure what to expect coming into the J5 Middle East desk. I was not sure whether I would be fetching coffee for high-ranking officers or actually giving briefs to them. As it turned out, I did neither of those things, but I had an invaluable experience in the AP office. Lacking a computer was a challenge at first, but not having many assigned tasks gave me time to make office calls with and talk to many influential military officers and civilian personnel. The experience definitely broadened my perspective of the military in general, especially because most of the officers working in the Pentagon are O-5s and above, so I got to hear countless stories and life lessons from officers who had already had a major command position. Also, I got to hear these lessons from Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Naval officers, so I learned a lot about all the services. I was surprised at how willing people were to take time out of their busy days to talk to me about their jobs, careers, and experiences. I was allowed to attend many meetings with the people in the AP office, and they always made sure to answer all of my questions afterwards. Overall, the office made an enormous effort to make sure my time with the J5 was well spent, and it was. I still cannot believe how much I learned in a few short weeks.

E. Recommendation(s)

One of the major issues that arose during my time at the J5 was the fact that I did not have computer access for the entire 4 weeks. It would have been very helpful to be able to access SIPR and NIPR, and I would have been able to do much more work to help the office complete daily tasks. A TS/SCI clearance would also have been very helpful. I was allowed to attend many meetings, but there were also many I could not attend because of my lack of clearance. I understand that the process of obtaining a TS/SCI clearance is not an easy one, but I wish I could have been at least screened for one.

The J5 directorate is definitely one of the most integral and fast-paced directorates to be a part of. USNA should continue to coordinate with them so that more midshipmen have the chance to see how this country forms strategic plans and policies.

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