Intern - Center for the Industrial Base (Summer 2026)

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)•Washington, DC

3h•Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 250 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe. The Center for the Industrial Base (CIB) is hiring a research intern for a 35-hour per week, in-person, paid position. CIB provides analysis on the critical issues at the cross-section of the U.S. government, the U.S. industrial base, and long-term strategic competition. CIB monitors important developments in the global defense industry, with a particular focus on DOD and federal industrial base challenges; government contracting trends in defense, civilian agencies, and international markets; industry-government collaboration; and international industrial cooperation. Through years of analytical research, CIB has strengthened its capabilities to draw from large databases to present information in a clear, meaningful way. CIB also collaborates with other teams at CSIS on a variety of research topics. CIB's research efforts focus on a variety of topics, including: • The defense industrial base • Manufacturing security and resilience • International defense industrial cooperation • Defense acquisition trends • Foreign military sales and defense trade • Export controls CIB is looking for an intern who can start May 26, 2026, though the actual start date is negotiable. The hired candidate will be paid hourly, commensurate with experience ($18.00/hour for current undergraduate hires, $19.00/hour for hires with a bachelor’s degree, and $20.00/hour for hires with a master’s degree).

Requirements

In pursuit of a bachelor’s degree (preferably at the junior or senior level) or of a master’s degree. Recent graduates are also encouraged to apply
Must have at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited U.S. institution or equivalent from a non-U.S. institution
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Training in quantitative analysis or qualitative social science methods
Experience with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Ability to carry out tasks without ongoing oversight
Demonstrated ability to conduct research and present information clearly and efficiently

Nice To Haves

Familiarity or demonstrated interest in defense research, acquisition, or supply chains
Interest in national security, emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing, export controls, and international defense industrial cooperation
Background in national security, science, engineering, economics, econometrics, organization science, or statistics
Experience coding (preferably with R, Python, and/or Stata)
Proficiency with databases (ideally SQL Server)