The Pentagon: Security, Subway, & the Search for Biden

by Hannah Griggs (’22)

Last week, I started my in-person internship at the Pentagon. After a security clearance, Capitol riot, and amidst a global pandemic, it seemed I would never walk through the doors of the Department of Defense (DoD). From the beginning, I knew how lucky I was to have an in-person internship and that I was still being welcomed at the Pentagon after a major security breach just weeks prior. As a small-town girl, the DoD was previously veiled in mystery, but in one week, my expectations were exceeded.

During the first day, I toured the Pentagon, a small city in itself. There is a CVS, dentist office, and the busiest Subway in the nation, selling over 6,000 footlong subs per day. Up the escalators and around a few corridors rests the Office of Legislative Affairs, where I intern. The workday begins when I put my phone and any other Bluetooth devices in a locker to keep our workspace secure. The office is basically a vault, meaning no personal devices are allowed due to security issues. Even if they were, the cellular service is nonexistent beneath all the concrete. This also means a security pass is needed to reenter the vault, but it takes 2-3 days for a new intern’s pass to become available. For my first few days, I quelled some of my desire to explore because I knew I had to use the doorbell to reenter the vault. No one wants to be that intern who continuously rings the doorbell for unnecessary reasons.

The Department of Defense air was buzzing during day two. The visitor’s center line was packed. In a few short hours, President Biden would be entering the building during his first DoD presidential visit. Dividers were out, security increased, and even vacuums were running over the rugs in electrified anticipation. The internship coordinator fed into the intern’s pleading requests for a “Biden hunt” and showed us where he would enter, the tank, and the room where he would address the Pentagon. While we were unsuccessful in an actual sighting, it was thrilling to see secret service at the end of our corridor. As someone who deeply admires the role of the president and loves to learn about the security details of his travel, this fascinated me. To conclude an exciting day, I sat in on a meeting with the House Armed Services Committee Chairman, Representative Ruben Gallego. The entirety of the meeting felt like a list of acronyms being read off. It was a healthy dose of “alphabet soup,” the adoring nickname for the hundreds of acronyms within the federal government.

The end of the week was very busy welcoming new political appointees into the office. Typically, being new in an office is a negative, but as a new intern, I have something in common with these leaders. Between editing congressional biographies for the White House and other tasks, I make sure to interact with the fellow “newbies”. Being able to witness this change in leadership and the way it influences policy will undoubtedly make this semester unforgettable. The excitement at the Pentagon is never ending and I am blessed to be a small part of it. I could not have asked for a better fitting internship. I adore my fellow interns, superiors, and just the feeling of being in such a highly regarded space.