After 36 days of Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, I received confused looks when handing in my out-processing paperwork, which stated that my follow-on assignment was to Jerusalem. Many leaders at Cadet Summer Training, and other cadets, were surprised to hear that U.S. Army Cadet Command offers Army ROTC and West Point Academy cadets internship opportunities at the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
As a senior in Army ROTC at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I am honored and privileged to have interned with the U.S. Africa Command and, during the summer of 2023, to have been the first cadet intern assigned to the Office of U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, known as USSC, at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
Every summer, thousands of ROTC and U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, cadets complete unique summer training opportunities outside their schools. The process begins the previous fall, when cadets compete to attend Cadet Summer Training as members of the opposing force at Fort Knox; go to a specialty school like U.S. Army Airborne School or U.S. Army Air Assault School; take Cadet Troop Leader Training with their desired branch; or serve cadet internships under the cadet internship program administered by Cadet Command.
While each opportunity has its own selection process and prerequisites, the cadet internship program provides opportunities for future lieutenants to acquire real-world experience in fields such as nursing, counterintelligence, cybersecurity, legal counseling, law enforcement and more. As a Middle East studies major with an emphasis in Arabic and the Arab-Israeli conflict, I was ecstatic when I found out about the USSC internship. I knew it was the ideal career-enhancing training for me prior to graduation and commissioning. I also knew the value of this rare opportunity, having spent the previous summer as an intern in Germany.
During the summer of 2022, I was fortunate to be one of 10 cadets awarded an internship at the Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. For two months, I shadowed company and field grade officers across five joint directorates. From participating in physical training with the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), to providing daily intelligence updates, to helping organize a four-star change-of-command ceremony, my time at Africa Command supercharged my leader development.
Although time at a combatant command may not have directly taught me how to be a platoon leader, exposure to strategic-level war planning provided a greater sense of purpose and understanding of my role as a second lieutenant and how my future platoon’s actions impact larger objectives.
My first real-world leadership training not only yielded lifelong friends and mentors, but it also gave me the skill sets and confidence to compete for another unique overseas internship the following year.
Tumultuous Area
After graduating from Cadet Summer Training in July 2023, I opted out of the traditional Cadet Troop Leader Training experience to join USSC in working toward a peaceful resolution to one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Another cadet and I arrived in Jerusalem at an interesting time for the U.S. Embassy there. Protests were erupting throughout the streets to contest the Israeli government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan, Palestinians were mourning the deaths of those killed in the aftermath of an Israeli Defense Force operation in the Jenin refugee camp, the U.S. ambassador was rotated out and Saudi Arabia assigned its first ambassador to the Palestinian Authority. I quickly realized we did not arrive at the U.S. Embassy during a unique time, but rather during an “average” week in a tumultuous part of the world.
Under the direction of Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, USSC is composed of 14 U.S. military members and an additional 52 military and civilian security professionals from eight other NATO nations. Although small in size and not very well known outside of the region, USSC’s mission is important in that it “coordinates with [the] Government of Israel and [the] Palestinian Authority to enhance security cooperation, lead coalition efforts in advising the Palestinian Authority on security sector reform, and cultivate opportunities for nations and organizations to contribute to development of a sustainable Palestinian security sector,” according to USSC’s mission statement.
Real-World Experience
I was embedded in USSC’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans, Programs and Assessments, referred to as the Plans Directorate, which develops, coordinates and assesses near-, mid- and long-term operations, activities and investments to build and improve security capability and enable USSC’s priority efforts.
Being assigned to the Plans Directorate strengthened two aspects of my professional development: firsthand, “boots on the ground” experience that I can apply toward my baccalaureate studies, and effective multinational and interagency team-building skills and innovative problem-solving approaches that I can apply throughout my career as an Army officer.
Diverse Toolkit
As I returned to Southern California, I looked forward to the final year at my university to refine my leadership abilities before commissioning. Much like my time at Africa Command, my experience as a cadet intern at USSC equipped me with a diverse toolkit to establish myself as a well-rounded officer and competent leader.
Whether one wants to branch into combat arms, pursue a career in the foreign service or become a government contractor, the professional, personal and educational development gained through cadet internships is indispensable. I know I will move through the remainder of this year and the rest of my Army career with humility and gratitude for the amazing doors cadet internships have opened for me and hundreds of other cadets.
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Cadet Karsen Flom is the cadet battalion commander at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s ROTC program. She will receive her bachelor’s degree in Middle East studies in June and plans on becoming a field artillery officer.