Submission Process
Submissions Information
#NatSecGirlSquad is proud to publish the thoughtful work of its members. We are actively soliciting informed, intentional written pieces covering national security, defense, and foreign policy. Successful submissions should offer a new perspective, approach, or solution and intentionally add to the larger conversation. We love to publish the work of first-timers and seasoned experts, as long as it meets our criteria.If you publish through other outlets, can we share it with the newsletter on this platform.
Pieces are published on the #NatSecGirlSquad website and shared in the weekly Newsletter. We also highlight publications across all #NatSecGirlSquad membership and social media platforms, and across Unicorn Strategies projects and audiences as appropriate.
What We Publish
Beyond the Break: This is an opportunity to focus on something that is in the news about things happening in the regular world or the national security world more specifically. This should be focused on a topic or angle not well-covered elsewhere. It's also a great opportunity to contribute to an ongoing conversation by citing other pieces. Approximately 800-1,000 words. Cite your sources via links, not footnotes.
Book Reviews: Specifically, reviews that do not simply describe but evaluate the work’s contribution in a real-world context. Priority is always given to reviews by members of other member’s published work. Somewhere between 600 and 1,500 words. Don’t overdo it.
Tell Me More (Policy or Event Analysis): A thorough yet efficient explanation of an event, policy, or potential policy (legislation counts) detailing what ‘it’ is, what ‘it’ means, and why ‘it’ matters. This could be in a series format, digging further into something that's going on or is being offered in the world, whether it's an event, a policy, or a combination of those 2 things. We're looking for people who have expertise. So this is an opportunity to get into the nitty-gritty of the mechanics of how a certain policy recommendation could or will work. This can be as accessible to the ‘general public’ as you would like or require, a significant understanding of the defense budget is entirely up to you.
I’m Just Saying (Commentary): A little spicier and a little longer than Beyond the Break, I’m Just Saying is an opportunity to articulate your argument and defend it. We like uniqueness, we don’t like “totally baseless.” This is your time to give us your perspective. No more than 800 words. We are open to those wanting to publish under s pseudonym.
Must Haves
Each piece we publish must include a BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front), not only summarizing the piece but why the contribution matters. Tie it neatly and tightly to the bigger picture.
How to Submit
We accept submissions on a rolling basis. As a small team, we are not currently able to offer significant editing support but encourage members to engage with one another via Herd Mentality before submitting.
A member of the #NatSecGirlSquad Operations Team will confirm receipt of your submission within 4 business days and will notify you of a decision within a week of confirmation.
Send an email from your #NatSecGirlSquad member affiliated email address to media@unicornstrategies.com. Subject: (Submission, Type of Submission) Topic. Attach your submission in as a .DOC(X). Please include your BLUF and a 2-3 sentence biography in the body of the email.