Aerospace Analyst Drew Carroll, a self-proclaimed “unabashed aerospace nerd and policy wonk,” has turned his passion for democracy into a dream career. His first stop was the Pentagon, where he interned for the Office of the Secretary of Defense while obtaining a degree in aerospace engineering. After a short stint as a weapons and airframe design engineer, he moved overseas to support Operation Inherent Resolve. Now working out of Booz Allen’s UK hub, he leverages his technical training and engineering experience to support soldiers and government civilians while abroad.
We sat down with Drew to learn more about his work and the perks of being part of Booz Allen Europe.
What’s your mission at Booz Allen?
I’m a part of a team of subject matter experts that supports the Department of Defense’s (DOD) United States European Command (EUCOM), in concert with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. We help formulate, coordinate, and execute U.S. defense policy and strategy in Europe. Our mission to defend the ideals of democracy abroad is deeply meaningful.
What do you like best about your job?
In my role, I have the freedom to execute what I think is best for the client’s mission. My leaders encourage me to analyze problems, formulate solutions, and present findings the best way I see fit. This is thanks, in part, to the way our team is structured in Europe. There is a high degree of ownership in our jobs here, and as such, we have the chance to take on projects personally. We have direct access to our top client leadership. The front line of our client delivery comes down to our individual analysts, the product of their work, and their personal relationship with the client.
What are the benefits to living and working in the UK?
I often get to see what democracy and liberty look like from the viewpoint of NATO member allies, which can be uniquely different from our own. I also get to experience the locations we’re supporting in person – I can be in Paris in one hour and in Berlin in two. Europe is endlessly travelable and the whole world is literally an airline ticket or train ride away.
What motivates the work that you do?
Our country’s founding principles inspired me since childhood, and I believe these tenets to be distinctly special. That’s why, for me, there’s so much meaning and purpose behind federal service. I would do anything to help safeguard people and places in support of freedom, and I get to do that at Booz Allen.
Ready to defend our homeland and protect other nations while living abroad? Join Booz Allen in Europe today and do the most important work of your life.
