Started in 2009, PSA’s highly selective Congressional staff foreign policy and national security program – the first of its kind – runs two times each year. This opportunity provides professional development and networking to Democratic and Republican staff members on Capitol Hill to advance bipartisanship on national security and foreign policy. Through off-the-record events, policy seminars, and skills training, this unique program aims to equip Congressional foreign policy and security advisers to assess global challenges, build common ground, and achieve U.S. national interests.
Past activities have included:
- Strategic negotiation training led by former congressional negotiators
- Off-Site weekend retreat that includes team-building, leadership training, and candid round table dialogues with foreign policy experts
- Bipartisan study trips
- Simulated National Security Council meeting led by past NSC staff
- Partnership projects where participants work together and apply the skills learned during the program to real world problems. Click here for a list of past participants and Partnership Projects.
- Opportunities to engage with top national security experts and past CPP participants in small-group discussions.
- Private events with leading national security and foreign policy experts including members of Partnership for a Secure America’s esteemed Advisory Board. Past speakers include:
- Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State
- General David Petraeus, former CIA Director
- Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense
- Paula Dobriansky, former Undersecretary of State
- General Michael Hayden, former CIA and NSA Director
- Dick Lugar, former Senator
- General John Allen, former Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL
- Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor
- Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor
- Michael Morrell, former Acting CIA Director
- Tom Pickering, former U.S. Ambassador
- Anthony Lake, former National Security Advisor
Eligibility Requirements:
- Current employment with a member of Congress or committee office, AND
- Relevant portfolio supporting national security and foreign policy issues
