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Inspiring Workforce

Recruit. Employ. Mentor.

As a trusted agent of the federal government, NSRI supports national interests and strategies by providing the Department of Defense and other federal agencies with evolutionary and revolutionary solutions to the dangerous and emerging threats of today and of the future.

One of the most critical solutions is a knowledgeable, capable and committed workforce equipped to carry forward 21st-century national security missions. NSRI invests its time, talent and resources into developing students from the University of Nebraska and beyond to pursue defense-related careers.

NSRI offers several ways for students to engage:

  • Internships through NSRI
  • Contributing to projects through NU faculty researchers
  • Wargaming experiences hosted by NSRI

Current Internship Opportunities

The National Strategic Research Institute strategic deterrence internship provides University of Nebraska students an opportunity to use their problem-solving skills to address real-world challenges experienced by NSRI’s DOD sponsor, U.S. Strategic Command. Through this experience, NSRI seeks to establish a long-term mentoring relationship with students and eventually assist them in obtaining key positions in the national security space to work priority challenges facing the United States.

Cohort 1: Database Development

This summer, NSRI will host an intern cohort focused on addressing mission-related challenges experienced by USSTRATCOM and its partner the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) and exploring technical challenges related to the nuclear deterrence mission.

Throughout ten weeks, interns will work as a combined team and focus on an area of significant interest that supports the ability of USSTRATCOM to deter two nuclear-capable near-peer adversaries. Specific work will involve developing structured databases of resources that are repeatedly leveraged against multiple contingency scenarios and then finding ways to most efficiently allocate resource use.

Interns will:

  • Conduct academically rigorous research
  • Review prior unclassified work
  • Develop a research concept
  • Identify program management tasks
  • Construct databases, experimental designs, and/or other designated outcomes
  • Databases will include but are not limited to graph databases
  • Tools of interest for analysis will include but are not limited to Neo4j
  • Receive feedback from NSRI and USSTRATCOM experts
  • Conduct test planning and execution
  • Report results of their completed research
  • Compile research study results
  • Archive any databases and analytical models developed in a collaboration platform
  • Present findings in the form of briefings and technical papers to NSRI leaders and current/potential NSRI customers

Interns will focus on the use of various database architectures (i.e. graph databases) and analytic software, such as Neo4j, to explore issues related to leverage assets assigned to high-impact, low-probability events. This internship will provide several interns with opportunities to understand how critical but limited resources that are leveraged against multiple contingencies can impact the ability to execute other plans once some resources have been used.

Desired knowledge:

  • Statistics
  • Data analysis
  • Data science
  • Mathematics
  • Other relevant fields or knowledge

Dates: June 1, 2023 – August 11, 2023
Location: NSRI HQ, Scott Technology Center, Omaha, Neb.
Hours: 40 hours per week
Pay: $18 per hour

Cohort 2: Scenario Research

The National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) strategic deterrence internship gives students an opportunity to use their problem-solving skills to address real-world challenges experienced by NSRI’s Department of Defense (DOD) sponsor, U.S. Strategic Command. Through this experience, NSRI seeks to establish a long-term mentoring relationship with students and eventually assist them in obtaining key positions in the national security space to work priority challenges facing the United States.

This summer, NSRI will host an intern cohort focused on a possible invasion of Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army. The effort will examine how a conflict might unfold, how the United States and allies might respond and how American forces and allied forces would address the use of nuclear weapons by China. The effort will focus on looking into the future and developing realistic scenarios and options for U.S. Strategic Command.

Interns will:

  • Conduct academically rigorous research
  • Review prior unclassified work
  • Develop a research concept
  • Develop plausible options
  • Construct a realistic conflict scenario and possible American and allied responses
  • Receive feedback from NSRI and USSTRATCOM experts
  • Game the possible options
  • Report results of completed research
  • Compile research study results
  • Present findings in the form of briefings and technical papers to NSRI leaders and current/potential NSRI customers

Interns will conduct social science research that is focused on China, Taiwan and regional allies. Developing an understanding of scenario design and futuring is also an important aspect of the internship. For those interns interested in careers within the intelligence community, military, academia, think tanks or social science research organizations, this is a great opportunity to tackle a real-world problem.

Desired knowledge:

  • Political science
  • Economics
  • Data science
  • Research methods
  • Chinese or Asian studies
  • Psychology

Dates:  June 1, 2022 - August 11, 2022 (10.5 weeks)
Location: NSRI HQ, Scott Technology Center, Omaha, Neb.
Hours: 40 hours per week
Pay: $18 per hour


Apply by 3/19

These positions are available only to full-time, currently enrolled University of Nebraska students who have completed at least 12 credit hours of study.

To apply for either of the above positions, please complete this application form.

We will begin reviewing applications March 20, 2023, so submit as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Arten.

Strategic Deterrence Interns

Each summer undergraduate students and ROTC cadets complete research projects within the mission space of U.S. Strategic Command, NSRI's UARC sponsor. In 2021 and 2022 the interns briefed their NSRI internship experience and the resulting deliverables to Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, USSTRATCOM deputy commander. Following is a video summarizing the 2021 experience.

Students of NSRI

Each year NSRI connects students to DOD-research experiences. Some of these students choose to pursue careers in national security after their time with NSRI.

Wargaming Exercises

November 2020 virtual wargame

Through roleplaying, wargaming unearths unique insights and variables in complex and competitive situations that wouldn’t necessarily arise in simple discussions or brainstorming. The technique allows participants to gain better insight into decision-making.

Wargames can be applied to any competitive scenario, from global politics to local business to risk management. NSRI uses wargames to bring students together to discover potential solutions to the country’s most perplexing issues.

Connect with us below if you are interested in participating in or creating a wargame for students.

NSRI hosts Army vs Air Force ROTC virtual wargame for WPI

Connect With Us

Have a question about an application or do you want to partner to create a new student opportunity? Let us know!

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