Defense Fellows Programs Page: 3 of 6
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Each military department is required to establish processes to review and select
personnel, ensure required training, and maintain regulatory compliance. Each service
executes its directed processes and provides fellows with specific program guidance.
Fellowship programs are separated into two distinct entities for administrative purposes,
the Senior Service College (SSC) Programs and the Legislative Fellows Program.
Senior Service College Fellowship Programs. The SSC Fellows Programs
provide a select group of approximately thirty senior officers, with eighteen to twenty-two
years of service (O-5s and O-6s), from each military department (Army, Navy including
Marine Corps, and Air Force) opportunities to gain an improved understanding of national
security policy and the intricacies of decision making at the highest levels. DOD annually
reviews and approves institutional participation in these programs. Some institutions
request specific educational and/or operational backgrounds and experience. DOD
fellows serve one-year tours at selected institutions commencing each summer. During
their tenure, the fellows are expected to pursue intellectual analysis and write at least one
analytical paper on a DOD-approved topic. In addition, as ambassadors for their services,
they promote and explain DOD policies, programs, and military strategy to nationally
recognized scholars, foreign dignitaries, and leading policy analysts. In return, they gain
insight into significant developments and emerging views on defense and foreign policy
issues. The program's intent is to provide an educational experience and special subject
matter expertise not available at the senior service colleges. Since 1994, officers
complying with fellowship requirements receive senior service college credit upon
completion. Fellowships do not provide joint professional military education (JPME)
certification.6 DOD sends fellows to over 25 host organizations participating in the SSC
Program, including Brookings Institute's Center For Public Policy Education, Harvard's
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and John F. Kennedy School of
Government. Additionally, the Secretary of Defense awards Corporate Fellowships to
selected Fortune 500 companies.7 DOD selects corporations based on their reputation for
insightful long-range planning, organizational innovation, and technological adaptation.
Legislative Fellows Program. The Program seeks to educate DOD personnel
on the workings of the legislative branch of government. It exposes approximately twenty
mid-career officers (O-4s) from each military department to the operations, organization,
and legislative processes of Congress. It is designed to provide the fellows with broad
insight into a wide range of issues while providing Congress with on-site experience on
defense-related issues. Fellows work for one year assigned to either a Member's personal
staff or a congressional committee. Fellows are encouraged to join offices with defense,
intelligence, or foreign relations interests. Each military department maintains fully-
staffed legislative affairs or liaison offices in Washington, D.C. Service legislative liaison
offices process congressional sponsor applications through DOD and provide central
6 In accordance with the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986
(P.L. 99-433), military curriculum at senior and intermediate military education schools is
reviewed and revised to strengthen focus on joint matters in preparation for joint assignment.
Joint duty is a prerequisite for promotion to brigadier general officer or rear admiral (lower half).
7 Information abstracted from Army Regulation 621-7, Army Fellowships and Scholarships,
August 8, 1997, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instruction 1500.72E, Navy Federal
Executive Fellowship and Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellowship Programs, May 17, 2001,
and Air Force Instruction 36-2301, Professional Military Education, June 27, 2002.
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DeSerisy, Lloyd. Defense Fellows Programs, report, November 5, 2002; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc817795/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.