Story by Claudia Borovina, IC Communications Fellow from the National Security Agency
Photos by Jessica Hrabosky, ODNI Office of Strategic Communications
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco spoke in a fireside chat moderated by CBS Intelligence and National Security Reporter Olivia Gazis, to a group of national security interns at the Silverado Leadership and Service Forum on Wednesday, June 29.
The event was hosted by the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a nonprofit policy development organization focused on trade and industrial security, cybersecurity, and economic and ecological security. The event was attended by interns from the Intelligence Community and livestreamed to interns across the country.
“When we look across the threat picture that we’re facing, one of the destabilizing factors is the way in which disruptive technologies are emerging in many respects,” said Haines. “The kind of convergence of so many different fields of science, whether it’s AI and bio, or other things, and just how those interactions are going to effect the landscape.”
When asked why young professionals should explore a career in public service, Monaco spoke about how new perspectives are necessary to maintain an edge for the U.S., while Haines added that there is unmatched scale and scope of the work available in public sector.
“It’s hard to beat the extraordinary things that you get to work on in government. It is the most meaningful work that I get the opportunity to be a part of... You can be quite junior and doing some pretty remarkable things in the context of your work,” said Haines. “You’re also being trusted.”
“We need you. We need the energy, the optimism, the idealism, the smarts, the new ways of thinking about things,” said Monaco. “We need more drive.”
The U.S. government is only as strong as its workforce. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence continues to seek out diverse talent to bring critical perspectives to our nation’s toughest challenges.
Currently, there are 10 ODNI internships accepting applications. To start your career in public service, apply here: https://vsfs.state.gov/
For more IC internships, encompassing nearly every job field, visit: https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/icstudents.html
The full fireside chat can be viewed on Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T4hUGU8fkoE&feature=youtu.be