NATIONAL SECURITY LAW FELLOW PROGRAM 2024-2025

OCJCS/LC maintains a National Security Law Fellow Program. One National Security Law Fellow is detailed to OCJCS/LC from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard on a rotational basis for a one-year tour of duty. At the conclusion of the National Security Law Fellow detail to OCJCS/LC, the officer will return to their respective Service. There is no formal requirement to nominate an officer to serve in this billet; however, the OCJCS/LC National Security Law Fellow Program provides a unique opportunity for a Judge Advocate to serve on the Legal Staff for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gaining valuable experience and first-hand perspective on joint and combined operations at the strategic and national level.

This billet is ordinarily filled by a senior O-4 or a junior O-5. The individual selected must be a Judge Advocate; be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school; be admitted to, and an active member in good standing of, the bar of either a federal court or the highest court of any state, commonwealth, or territory in the United States or the District of Columbia; and have a completed Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility (i.e., a background investigation current within the last five years or a periodic reinvestigation open and pending). The ideal candidate is a Judge Advocate who has earned an LLM-level degree, has graduated from an in-residence intermediate level school (i.e., Naval War College or Command and General Staff College) or equivalent program, and has a strong National Security Law background.

The National Security Law Fellow assigned to OCJCS/LC will advise the Legal Counsel and members of the Joint Staff on a range of legal issues, to include administrative law, intelligence law, operational law, international law and agreements, detention policy, counter narcotics, counter terrorism, litigation and associated discovery, rules of engagement, FOIA, Privacy Act, Military Justice, Ethics, and Standards of Conduct, and any other issues assigned by the Legal Counsel or the supervisory Deputy Legal Counsel.

All interested field grade officers in the rank of MAJ or LTC must submit a statement of interest and updated STP to their career manager, COL Nicole Fish at nicole.l.fish2.mil@army.mil or LTC Jessica Farrell at jessica.m.farrell.mil@army.mil NLT 22 September 2023 to be considered for the fellow program.