NATO Internship - Operations Division (OPS)

Internship Call 2026 - Vacancy Notice

The mission of the Operations Division of the International Staff is to prepare NATO for the defence of Alliance territory, to respond to crises at home and abroad, and to strengthen the capabilities of partners. The Operations Division advances the core tasks of the Alliance (Defence and Deterrence, Crisis Prevention and Management, Cooperative Security) by providing situational awareness, advance planning, well-exercised and executed crisis response, and outcome-oriented defence and related security cooperation programmes. The Division has two directorates; the Operations Directorate and the Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate.

The Operations Directorate facilitates the decision-making process related to the Alliance’s planning of operations, including advance planning. It manages NATO activities across the spectrum of peace-crisis-conflict, including military activities to deter our Adversaries and defend the Alliance, as well as current operations and missions It also manages the development and implementation of NATO’s counter-terrorism policy and activities. The Directorate continuously improves NATO’s political-military decision-making at the speed of relevance, including through exercises.

The Directorate has four sections; the Current Operations Section, the Crisis Response Systems and Exercises Section, the Plans Section and the Counter-Terrorism Section.

​​​The Current Operations Section addresses some of the most difficult problems facing the Alliance—their portfolio is fast-paced, demanding, and very rewarding. The Section engages with Allies, partners, host nation representatives, and NATO senior leadership on a daily basis to advance the strategic policy, and operational and reputational interests of the Alliance.  More than just a policy office, COPS also provides NATO Headquarter oversight of policy implementation in the field

The Crisis Response Systems and Exercises Section (CRSE) provides comprehensive advice and support to the Secretary General, the North Atlantic Council, Allies and Partners to facilitate the decision-making process relating to the entire spectrum of crisis management, including Article 5 and non-Article 5. This advice and support cover strategic political, civil and military aspects of current and potential operations, missions, assistance, exercises and Lessons learned. Within OPS, the CRSE section manages the Alliance-wide procedures for crisis management and is the focal point in NATO Headquarters for the full spectrum of crisis management processes and procedures in NATO, including exercising and scenario-based discussions

The Plans Section supports the North Atlantic Council and the Operations Policy Committee in the operational aspects of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, has oversight of NATO HQ’s Geospatial Services and facilitates situational awareness for the senior leadership of NATO HQ and Allies.  Plans is responsible for a broad range of issues of key importance to all three core tasks of the Alliance.   These include advance planning, deterrence messaging, comprehensive political-military assessments, support in preparation of crisis management exercises and training events, the provision of Geospatial Services and situational awareness.   It is also the coordinating team for the NATO HQ Response Coordination Task Force, the body responsible for providing appropriate responses to emerging crises for Allies consideration.  The Section offers a wide variety of opportunities across a broad and dynamic portfolio. The Section engages continuously with Allies, partners and senior leadership within NATO to advance the strategic, operational, and reputational interests of the Alliance.

The Counter Terrorism (CT) Section coordinates Counter Terrorism related efforts across the Alliance in accordance with the Updated 2024 CT Policy Guidelines, as well as guiding the implementation of the associated Action Plan on Enhancing NATO’s Role in the International Community’s Fight against Terrorism. It provides policy guidance and support to Allies and seeks to enhance NATO’s dialogue and cooperation on Counter Terrorism related issues with International Organisations and partner countries. It supports ASG/OPS in his role as NATO Secretary General’s Special Coordinator for Counter-terrorism. It manages a number of practical projects with concrete deliverables aimed at improving Allied capabilities in the counter-terrorism arena and at assisting NATO partners.

The Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate (DSCD) facilitates NATO’s political-military decision-making when developing the Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes, NATO’s primary framework for cooperation with partner nations. The Directorate further delivers programme implementation for partner nations with the aim to strengthen resilience, promote integrity, transparency, accountability and good governance in the defence and related security sector, and enhance their institutional and defence capabilities so that they can better respond to crises at home and abroad.  The Directorate’s mission is to help NATO partners become more capable, more secure, and better prepared to respond to crises at home and abroad. 

​As the focus point for NATO’s defence and security cooperation initiatives, the Directorate uses an integrated set of planning and programme implementation tools to support the development of state defence institutions under democratic control that comply with international norms and practices, and to develop forces and capabilities that can operate effectively with NATO forces when appropriate.  

The DSCD Directorate has three sections and also includes the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), NATO's primary response mechanism for disasters and other emergencies.

The Planning and Resources Section comprises the Planning Team, overseeing the design and development of the NATO-wide Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes (ITPP) and the Planning and Review Process (PARP); and the Resource Portfolio Management (RPM) Team responsible for the financial, legal, and administrative aspects of the Directorate’s programme work as well as monitoring and evaluation. The RPM Team oversees the three main trust funds: the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP) Trust Fund; the Defence and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative (DCB) Trust Fund; and the Partnership Trust Fund. 

The Delivery Section manages practical cooperation programmes for partners including the Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative, Building Integrity (BI), and Defence Education Enhancement Programmes (DEEP).

The Ukraine Cooperation and Transformation Section leads on the practical support to Ukraine through multiple work-strands under the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP).

The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre supports Allies and partners affected by disasters and other emergencies, when they ask for NATO’s help. The Centre also particates in DSCD’s work with partner nations, by supporting their capacity-building to manage emergencies. The EADRCC is part of NATO’s work on crisis management, resilience, and cooperation with the European Union and other international organisations.

How the daily work will look like?

Working as an intern for NATO’s Operations Division means experiencing first-hand the development and implementation of policies for crisis management, crisis response systems and exercises, political-military aspects of NATO-led operations and missions, the development and implementation of capacity building programmes with partner nations,  etc. The Operations Division contributes to NATO’s three core tasks, collective defence, crisis management and cooperative security.

Today, the evolving international security environment continues to produce a variety of threats and crises both for Allied nations and for partners bordering Allied territory. The Operations Division has set up crisis management mechanisms for appropriate and rapid responses to crises, facilitates political and military interaction among civil and military authorities, and ensures prompt decision-making.  

The intern will be working alongside experienced staff officers. Daily responsibilities include preparing briefings, speaking points and relevant communications to be used by the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, and Assistant Secretary General for Operations. The intern could be monitoring significant current events in NATO areas of operations, reviewing daily political-military reports, or contributing to the development and management of defence capacity building programmes and projects for partners. Furthermore, the intern could contribute to political-military assessments, preparation of crisis management exercises, and situational awareness within the NATO Headquarters and beyond.  The intern could also support the Division by attending senior-level meetings, political-military committees, drafting memos and reports, conducting research, and participating in seminars regarding NATO processes and policy. Tasks often require both individual effort and consultation with staff officers from different member countries willing to share their invaluable expertise, often under tight deadlines. An assignment with the Operations Division constitutes a challenging opportunity in a stimulating and fast-paced working environment. Ultimately, the experience will require you to use and develop your analytical and professional skills, making it unrivalled preparation for your future career.

What do we offer?

• A 6-month traineeship at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels, starting in March / September 2027. 
• A full-time traineeship (38 hours a week).
• A monthly grant of 1,334.96 € and a travel reimbursement upon joining and leaving the organisation.
• Teleworking subject to business requirements.
• A rich programme of activities, attending regular events and participating in meetings with several stakeholders.
• NATO HQ Staff Centre which promotes employee well-being and foster a healthy work environment (click here for more info, special membership price for NATO interns)

Selection Criteria

Please note that you can apply for up to three (3) different vacancies!

Apply until 30/04/2026 [23.59, Brussels time]

Essential:

The candidate must:

1.     be a national of a NATO member state,

2.     be at least 21 years old,

3.     have at least two years of university level studies OR equivalent education OR be currently a student OR a recent graduate (degree obtained no longer than 12 months ago),

4.     have proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages (English/French).

Desirable:

The following criteria will be considered an advantage:

1.     have a Bachelor's degree or in the final stage of a Master’s degree relevant to the requested area of expertise,

2.     elementary knowledge of the second official NATO language (English/French),

3.     be an advance user of IT tools including Microsoft Office, SharePoint;

4.     previous experience with other international organizations, national administration, research or industry.

Competencies required:

The candidate must demonstrate the following competencies:

·       Achievement: Works to meet standards.

·       Analytical thinking: Breaks down problems and see basic relationships.

·       Clarity and accuracy: Shows general concern for order and clarity, and checks own work.

·       Customer service orientation: Responds appropriately, maintains clear communication.

·       Empathy: Listens actively.

·       Flexibility: Acts with flexibility.

·       Initiative: Reacts to short-term opportunities or problems.

·       Organizational awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure.

·       Teamwork: Cooperates, shares information and knowledge freely, offering support and cooperation.

Our Values:

Please read another vacancy notice.

Special Notice:

In order for the Internship Office to assess your eligibility for the Internship Programme, please attach the following documents:

1.     Copy of university qualifications you have completed and/or

2.     Proof of ongoing studies with the dates clearly mentioned if you are still studying.

We prefer that these documents are in one of the NATO official language (English or French). If you don’t have these documents in English or French, please attach a self-translation.

Please ensure that all information is complete and accurate before submitting your application.

Please note that the application cannot be updated after the relevant deadline. 

The pool of candidates will be available to all NATO IS / IMS Divisions, Offices and NATO Bodies in case there is a need for a similar profile.

Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.

Read more about the Internship Programme, including terms and conditions, and what we offer at our website.