Internship | LLM-driven decision making in navy operations

Tactical decision making in military operations depends heavily on the quality and completeness of information available to commanders and analysts before and during an operation. In the early stages of mission planning, the operational situation is often vague and ill-defined, yet this is precisely when the right background information needs to be identified and assembled. Large Language Models (LLMs) offer promising capabilities for supporting analysts and decision makers, but their effectiveness depends on being provided with the right contextual data; data that must be gathered and curated before the operation begins.

There is a need for intelligent methods that help determine what information is relevant to a given operational context, especially when initial descriptions of the situation are incomplete or ambiguous. Query expansion, the process of enriching an initial information need with related terms, concepts, and material, is a well-established technique in information retrieval that can address this challenge. By broadening and refining an initial query, query expansion can help surface documents, datasets, and knowledge sources that would otherwise be overlooked, effectively bridging the gap between a vague situational description and the comprehensive information base required for sound decision making.

This challenge is particularly relevant in scenarios where access to data is limited or fragmented, as is common in expeditionary and marine operations. In such settings, analysts cannot rely on having a complete, pre-structured information environment. Instead, they need tools that can proactively identify and retrieve relevant material from heterogeneous sources based on partial or evolving operational descriptions.

In this Master's thesis internship, you will work on developing and evaluating query expansion techniques tailored to the military pre-operational planning context. You will investigate how an initial, potentially vague, operational description can be systematically expanded to retrieve relevant documents and data sources that can subsequently be provided to an LLM for mission support. This includes exploring techniques such as semantic query expansion using embeddings, knowledge-graph-based enrichment, and relevance feedback mechanisms. You will build upon existing retrieval and NLP tooling and evaluate your approach against realistic information needs derived from operational planning scenarios. You will have to work on finding existing context in the military domain that can be used as a starting point for this task

• You are following a Master’s in a relevant field, for example applied mathematics, operational analysis, artificial intelligence, data science, knowledge engineering, etc.
• You can independently arrange a university supervisor for your Master’s thesis.
• You are interested in large language models and have some experience using state-of-the-art models.
• You are comfortable with using/contributing to existing tooling by using Git and calling/exposing APIs.
• You have an affinity with the military domain.
• Good communication skills in English.
• You can show a great deal of autonomy and have a structured approach in your work.
• You can deal with uncertainties and a broad scope during the project.
• You enjoy developing innovative solutions to technically challenging problems and have the right mix of intellectual curiosity and pragmatism.

An internship at TNO means working in an environment where substance and impact are central. You will become part of a knowledge organisation where research and practice come together, and where experts collaborate on solutions to current societal and technological challenges.

Your internship is a period in which you can discover what suits you, where your strengths lie and what you would like to learn next. You are part of a professional working environment, gain insight into how things work in practice, and have the opportunity to build experience that goes beyond this internship alone. For many students, an internship is therefore also a first step in discovering whether TNO could be a potential next step after graduation.

In addition, we offer you:

• A professional and innovative internship environment in which you actively contribute to societal and technological challenges, working alongside leading experts in your field.
• Personal and dedicated supervision, with focus on your learning objectives, development and study assignment.
• Room to develop: you gain relevant work experience, develop both your subject‑specific and professional skills, and build a valuable network.
• Use of a laptop and the facilities you need to perform your work effectively.
• A monthly internship allowance of € 615 for a full-time internship, for MSc, BSc and vocational education (MBO) students.
• Up to eight hours of leave per internship month for a full-time internship, allowing you to balance your internship with your studies and personal life.
• A contribution towards travel expenses if you are not entitled to a student travel card.
• A free membership to Jong TNO: the network for young colleagues, where you can meet other TNO colleagues and participate in sports activities, professional and personal development activities, and social events such as the annual ski trip.

Our people are at the heart of TNO. Their curiosity, expertise and entrepreneurial mindset make it possible to deliver high-impact research and innovations that contribute to society’s sustainable wellbeing and prosperity. That is why we invest in an inspiring and inclusive working environment where colleagues can excel, have autonomy and continue to grow.

Your talent and ambition have every opportunity to flourish at TNO. You work with experts (both within and beyond TNO), have access to advanced technology and the freedom to explore, experiment and innovate. Our strength lies in independence, reliability and collaboration. We find each other in wonder and ingenuity. We are driven to push boundaries. By working with businesses and government, and by connecting different perspectives, we strengthen our innovative capability and create responsible, meaningful results.

At TNO, we believe this is our time to help society, government and business move forward faster. Together with driven colleagues, you turn knowledge into concrete innovations or ventures that truly make a difference by combining the power of science and entrepreneurship. And in doing so, you make your mark on our time.

You can apply for this internship position until the 17th of July, 2026. After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation by email.

TNO will arrange an appropriate internship agreement. If you have any questions about the content of the internship or the application procedure, you can contact the person listed below.

If you start an internship with us, we will also ask you to provide a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).

Important to know before applying:

• Before the start of the internship, an internship agreement must be signed. For students enrolled at a Dutch university or university of applied sciences, TNO uses the UNL-template, supplemented with several TNO‑specific agreements. For students from foreign educational institutions and MBO (secondary vocational education) programmes, the TNO internship agreement applies. TNO does not sign any other internship agreements.
• Before the start of the internship, the educational institution will need to confirm in writing that:
  1. you are enrolled at the educational institution for the duration of the internship, and;
  2. the internship forms part of your study programme.

The confirmation of educational institution takes place by signing the UNL template or forms prepared by TNO.

• Interns at TNO must have a registered residential address in the Netherlands at the start of the internship. Carrying out internship activities from abroad is not possible.
• Are you an international student? Please note that you must have a BSN (Dutch citizen service number) before the start of your internship. Applying for a BSN can take several weeks, so make sure to start this process well in advance.