Manage a crisis, secure the nation
Do you have what it takes to tackle a national crisis? Are you capable of making quick decisions in a fast-paced, high-stress environment? At the National Student Leadership Conference on National Intelligence & Homeland Security, you will have the opportunity to experience what it’s like to sit on the National Security Council, facing the tough decisions that protect our country.
Participating Institutions:
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- Department of Defense
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of State
- Department of the Treasury
- Drug Enforcement Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- National Security Agency
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- U.S. Secret Service
Explore this program:
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Interactive Career Simulations
The NSLC on National Intelligence & Homeland Security uses an interactive approach to learning that gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in the challenging complexities of the intelligence and national security community. You will act as a member of the National Security Council, tasked with solving an unfolding crisis. Whether serving as the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of Defense, the Vice President or one of the other NSC members, you will have to work with your team to protect the nation. You will make decisions and learn their consequences in a fast-paced simulation of real-life crisis situations – from a catastrophic hurricane to a terrorist threat.
Meet Intelligence Professionals
While at the NSLC’s summer high school program on national intelligence, you will meet with and learn from leaders in fields of intelligence, defense, and national security strategy. In past years, NSLC students have heard from guest speakers including top leaders at the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the State Department and the Pentagon.
Mr. George Tenet, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
General Michael Hayden, Director, National Security Agency (NSA)
Mr. William Black, Deputy Director, National Security Agency (NSA)
Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
General Vincent Stewart, Director of Intelligence, U.S. Marine Corps
Dr. Barry Zulauf, Deputy Chief, Office of National Security Intelligence, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Mr. Joseph Billy, Jr., Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Mr. Eric Velez-Villar, Assistant Director, Intelligence Directorate, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Mr. James McJunkin, Deputy Assistant Director, Counterterrorism, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Lieutenant General Ronald Lee Burgess, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
Rear Admiral Elizabeth Train, Director of Intelligence, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Brigadier General Michael Flynn, Director, Intelligence Directorate, Joint Chief of Staff
Major General James Graves, Assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Reserve Matters, U.S. Department of Defense
Admiral James Loy, Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
Mr. Mark Sullivan, Director, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security
Mr. Reynold Hoover, Deputy Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Assistant Secretary Randall Fort, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
Major General Richard Lake, Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service, CIA
Ms. Stephanie O’Sullivan, Principal Deputy Director, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
College-Level Curriculum
At the NSLC you will enjoy college-level lectures on the basics of the national intelligence community and homeland security policy formulation. The lecture series will give you a foundation of knowledge that will be vital not only during the conference but in your future career.
Topics include:
- The Intelligence Community – Tools of the Trade
- What is National Security
- Homeland Security
- National Security and Military Operations Abroad
Leadership Workshops
At the heart of the NSLC is a leadership curriculum designed to build concrete leadership skills that will help you succeed. From the beginning of your program you will learn to work as a team during an exciting Ropes Challenge Course. Interactive lectures and small-group workshops will give you an opportunity to build upon your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
Leadership topics tailored to the Intelligence & National Security program include:
- Personality Styles & Group Dynamics
- Negotiation, Conflict Resolution
- Public Speaking
- Ethical Decision-Making
Trips & Tours
An important part of the NSLC national intelligence and homeland security program is seeing the sites around some of our nation’s greatest cities. These trips are designed as both sightseeing tours and exclusive educational trips specifically tailored to the area of Intelligence:
Washington, D.C.
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- National Security Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- The Pentagon
- Arlington Cemetery
- International Spy Museum
- Capitol Hill
- The Smithsonian Institution
- Historic D.C. Monuments at Night
Sample Schedule
Day 1
- Registration
- Opening Ceremony
- Reception
- TA Group Orientation
Day 2
- Ropes Challenge Course
- National Security Council
- Lecture: History & Organization – U.S. Intelligence
- Pizza Social
Day 3
- CIA, DIA, or NSA Visit
- Arlington Cemetery Visit and Wreath-Laying Ceremony
- Guest Speaker
- Leadership Series: Art of Negotiation
- National Security Council Simulation
Day 4
- AU Credit Option
- National Security Council Simulation
- Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian Institution
- Washington at Night Tour
- Jefferson Memorial
- FDR Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Vietnam War and Korean War Memorials
- Iwo Jima Memorial
Day 5
- Pentagon Visit
- International Spy Museum Tour
- Lecture: Intelligence Gathering & Analysis
- National Security Council Simulation
- Leadership Series: Public Speaking
Day 6
- Final Presentations
- Closing Ceremony
- Final TA Group Meeting
