House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence- US House of Representatives (HPSCI)

This coin is from the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). In 2009, I applied to the Army's Congressional Fellowship Program and was accepted. I began the graduate program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (MPS, Legislative Affairs—GSPM), in the summer of 2010 and served as the Defense Fellow in Congressman Mike Rogers' (R-MI-8th) personal office; he was Chairman of HPSCI. This was a strong program, selecting leaders with extensive operational experience and exposing them to the Hill—a valuable opportunity to see firsthand how Congress works and how the DoD/DoW interacts with staff and members. Fellows are assigned to personal offices or committee staffs of jurisdiction—Armed Services, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs/Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and others—and work defense portfolios for the member or committee. This program, as well as others such as the JCS Intern Program, is an important part of strategic leader development for senior NCOs and field-grade officers, providing them with the insight and experience to become more effective leaders as they continue to serve.