Making Our National Security Workforce Reflect Our Nation
The most recent FEDtalk podcast episode featured a roundtable discussion on diversity and inclusion in the U.S. national security workforce. The guests discussed diversity gaps in national security, barriers to equal opportunity, and the opportunity present today. Through their work, the guests have sought solutions to diversifying the national security workforce and bridging divides to help people of color and underrepresented groups succeed. The show highlights the work being done to create a culture of inclusivity in the national security space.
Jason Briefel hosted Bunmi Akinnusotu, Advisory Board Member of the Diversity in National Security Network (DINSN) and host of the What in the World? Podcast; Maggie Feldman-Piltch, Founder and CEO of #NatSecGirlSquad; and Maryum Saifee, Visiting Senior Fellow at the Truman Center for National Policy on the show.
The group discussed the components making up the national security workforce, from federal law enforcement across government to foreign policy leaders at the State Department to the Defense Department and Intelligence Community, as well as lawmakers in Congress.
Feldman-Piltch noted, “Your people are your best weapon. They are your best everything and [government] is nothing without them. The U.S. has a unique population and we need to decide if that is going to be used to our advantage or get in the way… If you are soft of diversity, you are soft on defense.”
Saifee continued with a discussion on broadening our view of national security to include human security issues internationally and within the U.S. For example, Saifee noted how the issue of female genital mutation (FGM) continues to impact women abroad and domestically.
“It’s important for us to reframe national security in a much broader way. It has been really amazing to see recently the stitching together or the domestic and the global. As Secretary [of State] Blinken mentioned that our foreign policy starts at home. Now more than every we should be looking at our own institutions,” Saifee said.
The group identified the issues with diversity and inclusivity in the national security workforce as systemic and continual, spanning decades.
Akinnusotu noted, “Two big barriers I see for young people…first, who do you know? The national security and foreign policy spaces are very insular. DC is even more so… A barrier is just knowing who the levers of change are in a space and having access to those individuals… The second thing, which was a barrier for me working through the Obama Administration, was the clearance process.”
The panel discussed how the clearance process depends on a certain level of trust with the government that marginalized communities may lack and, thus, deters them from applying to positions. Other barriers to inclusion discussed were unpaid internships and a lack of outreach.
Saifee also discussed the importance of improving geographic diversity and mentorship opportunities, while Feldman-Piltch also noted the importance of providing opportunity for students who discovered their interest in national security after college.
The episode also featured discussion on organizations uplifting marginalized groups in national security, the impact of the Biden administration’s commitment to appointing diverse leaders, hiring processes in national security fields, and paths to creating a culture of inclusivity.
You can stream the show online anytime via the Federal News Network app and listen to the FEDtalk podcast on PodcastOne and Apple Podcasts.
FEDtalk is a live talk show produced by Shaw Bransford & Roth P.C., a federal employment law firm. Bringing you the insider’s perspective from leaders in the federal community since 1993.
FEDtalk is sponsored by the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). The FLTCIP is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, insured by John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, under a group long term care insurance policy, and administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC (doing business as FedPoint).
