Around the Table with Sahil Jain

Around the Table is a three-question interview series from the Make Room email newsletter as a part of the CNAS Make Room initiative. Each edition features a conversation with a peer in the national security community to learn about their expertise and experience in the sector.

Sahil Jain is the special assistant to former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, focusing on South and Central Asia. A career diplomat, Jain has held diverse roles across the U.S. government, including service at the White House on the National Security Council, where he worked on AUKUS, and as a policy advisor in the vice president’s Office of National Security Affairs. Overseas, Jain served as a political officer at the U.S. Embassies in China and India.

1.⁠ ⁠What gives you hope for the future?

People! Folks who see the world’s complexity with clear eyes but still choose public service as a calling. The more time I spend with younger colleagues—whether they’re blending technical expertise with geopolitical awareness or simply trying to make a meaningful difference in their communities—the more I’m reminded that idealism and grit can still coexist.

I also draw hope from what I see every day inside the Foreign Service. Across my own career, both overseas and domestically, I’ve witnessed remarkable resilience from colleagues who continue to deliver in environments that are exhausting and unpredictable. Even in the toughest of settings—conflict zones, humanitarian emergencies, politically fraught negotiations—they show up with integrity, humility, and an unwavering belief that diplomacy will move the needle.

2.⁠ ⁠What motivates you in your work? What gets you out of bed every morning?

The sheer range of what the Foreign Service throws at you. It’s one of the few careers where every day looks different, and jobs can take you into new geographies, domains, and intellectual rigor. You have to be open to constantly learning. That mix of intellectual challenge, on-the-ground problem-solving, and constant adaptation is part of what gets me up in the morning.

But the deeper motivation is service. Very few professions allow you to make tangible contributions to U.S. national security every single day. There’s a grounding sense of purpose that comes from knowing your work matters even when the results aren’t immediate. Like most of my colleagues, I’m driven by the belief that principled, disciplined diplomacy can meaningfully shape outcomes and prevent bad days from becoming worse ones.

And, yes, there’s still something undeniably meaningful about taking your seat at a table behind the “United States” placard that never gets old.

3.⁠ ⁠How has mentorship influenced your career?

Mentorship has been foundational in both my career and my personal life. I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to work for senior leaders and have had professors who have made unorthodox investments in me. Mentors who did not just offer advice but took the time to actually train me. They sharpened my judgment, challenged my assumptions, and opened doors I could never have opened alone. In several cases, their belief in me arrived long before I had the confidence to fully believe in myself, and that kind of support stays with you. Those relationships have shaped how I lead and how I show up in the workplace.

Diplomacy is, at its core, an apprenticeship model: You learn by absorbing how good diplomats negotiate, write, manage crises, or simply treat others. Nearly every skill I rely on today was first modeled by someone who took mentorship seriously and expected me to pay attention.

I’ve made mentorship a priority in my own career. Whether it’s junior officers, interns, or students interested in international affairs, investing in others feels like honoring the people who invested in me. Paying it forward and paying back what others gave me remains one of the most rewarding and grounding parts of this work.