Job Description
Foreign Affairs Specialist (McCain Fellows)
Department of Defense
Washington Headquarters Services
Summary
The John S. McCain Strategic Defense Fellowship Program is a 1-year Department of War (DoW) development program for recent advanced degree program graduates from across multiple academic disciplines. While these are temporary appointments, Fellows that successfully complete this program are eligible to be considered for conversion into permanent positions if vacancies are available.
Duties
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This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2026.
The Department of War is seeking applicants for the John S. McCain Strategic Defense Fellowship Program.
The application period opens on December 1, 2025, with an initial cut off date of January 5, 2026. Applications received before 11:59pm on January 5, 2026 will be evaluated and assessed for current, available positions. Subsequent cutoff dates include March 5, 2026; May 5, 2026; July 6, 2026, and September 30, 2026. Qualified applicants that apply after the initial cut off date will be considered and referred if initial vacancies are not filled and if future vacancies become available.
This Public Notice is to gather applications which may or may not result in a referral or selection.
This position is being filled under Section 932 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, and its later amendments Section 1113 of the NDAA Fiscal Year 2024 and Section 1112 of the NDAA Fiscal Year 2025.
NDAA FY25 Sec 1112
NDAA FY24 Sec 1113
NDAA FY19 Sec 932
Assignments during the Fellows program are to an Excepted Service position either in the Office of the Secretary of War or other Department of War Components.
Please read this Public Notice in its entirety prior to submitting your application for consideration.
Typical work assignments may include the following:
Providing strategic research, advice, and analysis to senior leaders; producing reports, briefings, and position papers for the Office of the Secretary of War.
Developing long-term strategies; analyzing policy implications and impacts on plans and capabilities.
Serving as Department representatives to working-level interagency or interdepartmental meetings; preparing senior defense leaders for inter-departmental and interagency meetings, Congressional testimony, and/or bilateral and multilateral engagements.
In all job functions, incumbents will maintain strict security protocols for classified information, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations.