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NSPC 2025 Interns Publish Work and Present to Industry Professionals

September 4, 2025

Two interns from the National Security Policy Center’s (NSPC) Summer 2025 cohort are sharing their program research in wider professional circles.

Lucia Fogler, a third-year UVA student majoring in Public Policy & Global Security and minoring in Chinese, was part of the NSPC’s intern group working on problems for UVA’s newly established National Security Data and Policy Institute (NSDPI). Over the course of eight weeks, they investigated issues related to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning including data acquisition, deployment of AI/ML technologies, and the role data and AI/ML play in Great Power Competition. Interns worked in teams to produce literature reviews on the future of power generation in the U.S. and China, but also embarked on individual projects of interest to the NSDPI. It’s Lucia’s solo white paper, “China’s Strategic Deployment of Deep-Sea Mining to Counter U.S. Defense Presence in Oceania,” that’s garnering interest in wider professional circles. She was invited by Impossible Metals, a firm dedicated to harvesting and processing critical metals from the seabed, to share her insights on the potential for deep-sea mining to help the U.S. decouple its critical mineral supply chain from reliance on China. She’ll be presenting her research in a virtual session on Friday, September 5th.

The NSPC also placed students in external internships this summer, connecting them to key organizations in the national security space. Second-year M.P.P. candidate Adam Koussih spent his internship with the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), an independent, bipartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to developing national security and defense policies. His work focused in part on the politics of the Middle East, and resulted in his article “How to Keep Hezbollah Away from Power,” co-authored with Delaney Soliday and recently published in The National Interest. “Even with its military reputation in tatters,” write Koussih and Soliday, “Hezbollah still draws legitimacy from government corruption and its own provision of public services.” Their piece provides a fascinating, detailed glimpse into the political landscape of modern-day Lebanon in the aftermath of significant upheaval.

The public recognition Fogler and Koussih have received is a clear indication of their projects’ wide-ranging implications and their individual talents. The high caliber of their work reflects a Summer 2025 intern cohort that impressed both the NSPC and the NSDPI; you can read more about the research they produced by clicking below.

Register for Lucia Fogler’s Webinar

Read Adam Koussih’s Full Article

Browse the Summer 2025 Interns’ Full Research