Creating tomorrow's
Defense Industry
leaders.
Defense Interns places students at top defense contractors across the country - pairing live, hands-on work with industry credentials in cybersecurity, AI, and IT. We bridge the gap between classroom and employment.
annually
host employers
partners
credentials
Harford County Public Schools
Pipeline Partner
Emerald Technical Solutions
People. Technology. Mission
Real work. Real credentials. Real careers.
We don't run a program of observers. Our interns sit alongside engineers at active defense contractors, build portable industry credentials, and leave with work an employer can see.
On-site at active defense contractors
Interns work inside the live defense ecosystem - from Aberdeen Proving Ground to defense corridors nationwide, embedded with prime contractors holding active federal contracts. Real environments, real stakes.
See host employers →Stackable industry credentials
Multiple certification opportunities built into the program. These are industry recognized credentials that travel, and they also satisfy the DoD 8570/8140 framework contractors staff federal contracts against. Which ones an intern takes depends on their track and where they are placed.
View credential tracks →C-suite level engagement
Every intern is paired with a technical mentor with at least 5 years of relevant experience, and gets time with the people running the business - founders, executives and technical leadership - not only the team they sit with.
Meet our mentors →A nationwide gap, measured.
The U.S. is short over half a million cybersecurity professionals - and the gap is widening, not closing. Defense Interns is building a pipeline designed to scale beyond Maryland and into every state where the defense industrial base operates.
Built in Maryland. Designed to scale.
We started in Maryland because Aberdeen Proving Ground and the defense corridor sit in our backyard - but the workforce gap we're solving isn't a Maryland problem. Every defense contractor in every state is short on credentialed, work-ready talent. Defense Interns is the pathway, and it's built to scale wherever the mission goes.
Ready to build the next generation of defense leaders?
Whether you're a student looking for your first defense industry placement, or a contractor ready to host an intern - we'd like to hear from you.