To: Associate Director of Research and Scholarship for Internships & Technology Transfer

16 July 2012

MEMORANDUM

From: To: Associate Director of Research and Scholarship for Internships & Technology Transfer Via: (1) LCDR Jason Chiodi, USN Department of Political Science Internship Coordinator (2) CDR Tom Robertson, USN Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Internship Coordinator

Subj: AFTER-ACTION REPORT FOR INTERNSHIP, SUMMER 2012

Ref: (a) COMDTMIDN/ACDEANINST 1531.73A

A. Summary Information:

1. This After-Action Report is provided in accordance with reference (a). Internship details:

Location: Center for Naval Analysis, Alexandria, VA Dates: 25 June – 20 July, 2012

B. Technical:

1. Title of Project:

2012 OCONUS Energy Security, 2012 Women Officer Policy

2. Objectives:

Conduct research on Energy Security and Navy policy that affects attraction and retention of female officers. This is as much information as I am able to give since the studies and the documents used are SECRET.

3. Approach:

I was part of a team of two midshipmen who worked directly with senior staff members on researching and writing for the two studies mentioned above. Our primary approach was to conduct extensive research and create briefing slides and documents for CNO Executive Panel members.

4. Accomplishments and My Contributions to the Project: I undertook extensive research for the Energy Security study as well as created a set of briefing slides, an extensive summary document, and a summary spreadsheet. For the Women Officer Policy study I sat in on all of the important meetings and phone conversations and created a Terms of Reference for the new study.

5. Publications and/or Presentations:

Although we were unable to brief our slides for the Energy Security study since our internship ended before the meeting, our slides will be implemented as well as our summary report and the terms of reference for the Women Officer Policy study. I cannot attach these documents as they are SECRET.

C. Administrative

The logistics for this internship went extremely smoothly. We did not require complex travel orders or a complex travel voucher since we are working so close to the academy. Our security clearance was covered by our Naval Academy clearance. The CNO EP provided us with parking with was extremely helpful. They also helped us get Pentagon badges very quickly.

Since there were no provisions for travel, lodging, meals or any other administrative needs, we were on our own to find housing for the month. This proved to be the only difficult part of the internship process. Theoretically, the Academy provides lodging, but that would require an extremely difficult commute every morning and evening. As long as interns have a car, they should be fine for transportation, and the Mark Center is easy to find. As I said before, parking is provided. Since this internship is unfunded, I would encourage midshipmen to reach out to the DC and Alexandria Navy community for lodging. I stayed with a friend so that I did not have to pay for lodging and meals out of pocket for the month and this worked quite well.

D. Evaluation

1. Relevance:

The internship was not directly relevant to my Trident Scholar project however this internship is relevant to any midshipman for three reasons. First, it exposes midshipmen to an environment which is totally reliant on self-motivation. People will not be checking up on you all the time, there are no mandatory events, and you are in charge of being where you are supposed to be, on time, doing your work, and feeding yourself. This was extremely refreshing and also excellent experience for once I graduate. Second, this internship requires midshipmen to read and research extensively and summarize those findings. These are skills which will be beneficial forever. Finally, this is an internship where there are active duty officers from all Navy communities. It provides an opportunity to experience the kind of environment that will make up future shore tours, and it also provides a chance to interact daily and develop a relationship with senior officers outside of the Academy.

2. Impact: This internship did not impact my service selection since I am already service selected, and did not impact my choice to go to graduate school since I am already going, but it did have a significant impact on my understanding of Navy shore tours and the value that the Navy puts on the ability to think outside the box. It was very encouraging to see a place where academic minded people are valued for their skills and rewarded for those skills.

3. Level of interest/challenge:

Working at CNO EP meant the opportunity to go to the Pentagon whenever the need arose. We met the CNO, toured the Pentagon, and accidentally visited the Capitol. This freedom was extremely refreshing. However, the nature of the job is to sit in front of a computer all day. This was sometimes difficult, especially since things are less busy during the summer, so there wasn’t always work for us to do. The staff and our POC were very encouraging that we break up the day by working out in the gym or going out for lunch, so this broke up the long day. We also did a few staff lunches which really helped us get to know the entire staff outside of the office.

E. Recommendation(s)

I think the freedom of this internship should be protected. It is really good for developing self-motivation skills after being forcefully motivated at USNA.