Brandon Morrison Heppener Internship experience

On the 4th of September 2023 I started my six-month internship at the JCBRN Defence COE. During my stay at the COE, I had the opportunity to work on an internship project about the role of the COE in CBRN defence in 2030 and beyond. The main objective of this project was to identify challenges that the COE may face in the future, and how these challenges may affect the role that the COE has in CBRN defence. To identify the challenges, a questionnaire and interviews were conducted as primary research methods.

Overall, I am very positive about my experience at the COE. I have learned a lot, both on a professional level and also on a personal level. The topic caused me to learn a lot about the COE, NATO, CBRN defence and other interesting topics, and living away from home caused me to learn on a personal level. The COE is a very welcoming environment to ‘roll into’ as an intern. The professionals of the COE were very knowledgeable and kind which helped to feel welcome as an intern. Events like the annual conference in Prague and the Winter Evaluation truly made me feel to be part of the team.

Interviewing the experts of the COE was very informative and crucial to the internship project. Without the help of the experts of the COE I would not have been able to produce an appropriate end-product. Overall, I think this internship has been a great experience and thus it has been a success. I would like to thank the JCBRN Defence COE for providing me with this amazing opportunity.