Defence Futures internship programme
Defence Futures runs a paid internship programme open to individuals who are currently undertaking, or have recently completed, postgraduate studies.
Overview
The Defence Futures postgraduate internship programme provides experience of working in government on defence and security related strategic issues.
The programme helps Defence Futures strengthen diversity of thinking, which is essential to our work, supporting research and analysis on a wide range of defence and security policy areas.
Details
The internship programme is now open for applications.
Interns will join Defence Futures mid to late-July 2025, usually for around six to eight weeks. Interns will contribute to Defence Futures work in a wide range of areas, including:
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Providing research, data-gathering, data analysis and writing support on strategy papers for the Concepts and Strategic Foresight Teams to assist in the development of thinking and providing critical challenge to widen perspectives of future challenges.
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Supporting Defence Futures’ Insights, Analysis, Research and Challenge (IARC) Team in their work providing the empirical evidence to support Defence Futures output. This may include involvement in a range of analysis and experimentation activities, such as: red teaming, wargaming, data analysis, information graphics, synthesising operational lessons; identifying trends; developing thought-provoking insight; and challenging thinking.
Detailed briefings on specific tasks, including length, scope, and depth, will be provided at the beginning of the internship. Task dependent, interns will also benefit from having their work published internally across Defence.
Interns will be employed as civil servants and will work 37 hours per week. Pay will be at least National Living Wage.
In line with Defence Futures’ ways of working, the internship will operate a hybrid working pattern with some time spent in the office and some time spent working remotely (from home). There will be in-office working at the start of the internship and at other times by mutual agreement between each individual intern and their assigned desk officer and/or mentor.
Accommodation will be provided on-site at MOD Shrivenham at no cost to the intern during periods that interns are expected in the office. Please note that travel costs will not be reimbursed.
Defence Futures is based at MOD Shrivenham, and is an organisation comprised of civil servants and military personnel from the UK and partner nations.
Application Requirements and Process
Applicants must either hold a Masters-level qualification or be working on one. There are no restrictions regarding study area, though an interest in Defence and/or international affairs is essential, and this should be reflected in your application.
All successful candidates will be security checked before joining. Interns are employed as civil servants, on a fixed-term, non-standard appointment. There are important nationality and residency restrictions: you must have the right to work in the UK, be a current UK resident, and have a UK bank account and National Insurance number at the time of interview.
How to apply
The internship programme is now open for applications.
To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining what you would bring to a Defence Futures internship and how it would benefit you, to ukstratcom-ida-dfutures-iarc@mod.gov.uk by 12:00 on 17 March 2025.
Please title your e-mail ‘Internship Application – your name’ and attach a PDF of each document to your email saved in the following filename format:
Surname, First Name – CV
Surname, First Name – Cover Letter
Applications received after this deadline, or not submitted in the requested format, will not be considered.
Please note:
After a paper sift, shortlisted candidates will be informed on 28 March 2025 and interviewed virtually between 7–15 April 2025. Interview slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure these deadlines are met, candidates are encouraged to add ukstratcom-ida-dfutures-iarc@mod.gov.uk as an email contact. Successful candidates will be informed on 16 April 2025, however a formal offer will not be made until relevant clearances are successfully completed, including a physical check of identification documents between 16 and 25 April 2025.
To submit your application, or if you have any questions regarding the programme, please contact us at ukstratcom-ida-dfutures-iarc@mod.gov.uk
Updates to this page
Published 26 February 2021Last updated 1 March 2024 + show all updates
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Applications now closed.
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Note added to top stating that internship is not available to current crown servants.
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Added info for 2024 applications.
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Applications now closed added.
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Updated with new guidance for 2023 internship applications.
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Changed the closing date to applications are now closed.
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Updated details and dates for applicants in the year 2022.
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Added notice to the page explaining that Applications for 2021 are now closed.
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First published.