South Asia Visiting Fellows Program

The Stimson Center's South Asia Visiting Fellows program brings Indian and Pakistani researchers to Washington for up to three months to familiarize them with the theory and practice of arms control, disarmament, nuclear risk reduction, and confidence-building measures (CBMs). The South Asia Visiting Fellows program is currently geared toward active duty armed forces personnel and civilian officials working on nuclear issues in India and Pakistan who show promise of being able to contribute creatively to the public debate on national security in their respective countries and in the region as a whole.

Visiting Fellows spend up to three months in an intensive work/study program that includes meetings with government officials and Washington-based policy analysts working on arms control, regional security, and CBMs. The Fellows have an opportunity to visit with a number of government officials, including those from the Department of Energy, Department of State, and Department of Defense. Visits are also arranged to nongovernmental organizations working on related national security issues.

Fellows conduct research on a security-related topic of their choosing or one formulated during their time at the Stimson Center. Fellows are familiarized with Washington's many libraries and provided with an Internet connection, allowing them access to a broad range of information. Fellows are also kept abreast of pertinent seminars and lectures taking place in Washington.

In 2003, the Stimson Center began receiving funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy to host Visiting Fellows from the armed forces of Pakistan and India. The focus of this fellowship program is nuclear risk reduction. As such, the Stimson Center's Visiting Fellows program no longer solicits general applications and exclusively hosts active duty armed forces personnel and civilian officials working on nuclear issues in India and Pakistan.