Though the specifics of the service requirement have changed over the years, in general all award recipients must fulfill their service requirement in federal positions with national security responsibilities.  This standard, like other details of the service requirement, was established through Congressional legislation, and that legislation also tasked the National Security Education Program with interpreting and implementing the service requirement.  In judging whether a particular position can count toward the service requirement, NSEP has employed a broad definition of national security based on the President’s annual national security strategy submitted to Congress.  Past award recipients working in fields as diverse as development, energy policy, public health, and finance have all been able to successfully make the case that their work has an impact on U.S. national security, though certainly not all positions in such fields would qualify.

The following list of federal organizations and offices is not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive. Furthermore, it should not be assumed that work for any of the listed organizations will count toward your service requirement.  Remember, though work in the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, or the intelligence community will always count toward your service requirement, work in other federal organizations or offices is only considered on a case-by-case basis.  It is always the responsibility of the award recipient to justify on his or her Service Agreement Report (SAR) how a particular position in a federal office involves national security responsibilities or has a strong impact on U.S. national security. NSEP’s Service Approval Committee will review each case and make the final decision as to whether an award recipient’s work can be applied to the service requirement.

That said, this list does represent federal organizations at which NSEP award recipients have worked in the past, and in many cases these award recipients were able to receive service credit for their work.  Explore these organizations’ websites, and learn more about what offices and opportunities might hold a future for you!

The Departments

Agriculture

      Foreign Agricultural Service

Commerce

      International Trade Administration

      Foreign Commercial Service, U.S.

Defense

      Defense Intelligence Agency

      National Defense University

      National-Geospatial Intelligence Agency

      National Security Agency

      Naval Intelligence, Office of

Energy

Health and Human Services

      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

      National Institutes of Health

Homeland Security

      Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S.

      Customs and Border Protection, U.S.

      Federal Emergency Management Agency

Justice

      Drug Enforcement Administration

      Federal Bureau of Investigation

State

      Foreign Service

      African Affairs, Bureau of

      East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Bureau of

      Educational and Cultural Affairs, Bureau of

      European and Eurasian Affairs, Bureau of

      International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Bureau of

      Near Eastern Affairs, Bureau of

      Research and Intelligence, Bureau of

      South and Central Asian Affairs, Bureau of

      Western Hemisphere Affairs, Bureau of

Treasury

      Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

Independent Agencies

African Development Foundation

Agency for International Development, U.S.

Director of National Intelligence, Office of the

      Central Intelligence Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Export-Import Bank of the United States

Institute of Peace, U.S.

Inter-American Foundation

Millennium Challenge Corporation

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Peace Corps