Is USNA right for my son?

[TAMUMom1990]

My son is a junior and has aspired to go to USNA for years. He has a very good chance of an appointment based upon his qualifications, but it is right for him in the career that he is considering? He is an introvert, analytical, a deep thinker, and knows copious amounts of information regarding military history, strategy, and geopolitics.

He has been researching a career in military intelligence and it sounds like a great fit for him. However, when we told the commander of his MCJROTC unit that he wanted to go to USNA and become an intelligence officer, the reply was "Well that's not the Naval Academy."

Is that accurate, and if so, what is the best route to take to become an intelligence officer? Should he forego SAs altogether, or is there another SA he should be considering?

 

[A1Janitor]

That is not correct.

My son was an introvert- though he hid it very well in high school. That has gotten better at USNA. He does occasionally need to go to the diner or the movies by himself to get away.

And my son flirted with intelligence as a career.

 

[Kierkegaard]

It’s very rare to go Intel out of USNA. It may be different at Air Force or West Point—I’m not sure. With all 3 academies, there is the chance of being assigned a career that is not his preference.

If he is certain that he wants to be an Intelligence Officer, he could go to a civilian university, perform well, and apply to Officer Candidate School. With OCS, he’ll know what job’s he’s getting before he joins.

Or, have him research options for commissioning into Intel through an academy. It’s rare but not impossible.

 

[A1Janitor]

I should add that intelligence is hard to get as it is restricted line - the group my son was forced to choose from. And there aren’t many slots.

 

[Capt MJ]

With his interests, suggest he also explore intel careers in the federal “ABC” agencies and departments which are hungry for career intelligence analysts. It’s a big community. They have college programs and internships. I am not talking about “door-kicker” agents here, but the community of functional experts and analysts in intel, cyber, logistics, operations planning, forensics, etc., who work in concert with operational types.

For example:

NSA student and internship programs

The National Security Agency offer internships, scholarships, a co-op program and more.

www.intelligencecareers.gov

Student Programs - CIA

www.cia.gov

Careers & Opportunities

Office of Naval Intelligence > Careers > Intern Programs

Students and Interns | FBIJOBS

Protect the American people and uphold the Constitution by joining the FBI as a special agent, intelligence analyst, or professional in over 200 career trajectories.

fbijobs.gov

Students | Homeland Security

Student Hiring Programs: Acquisition and Procurement, Cybersecurity, Pathways, Health and Science, I&A Internship, Law Enforcement, Legal, Public Affairs.

www.dhs.gov

Intelligence Community student and internship programs

We offer a wide variety of programs to jumpstart your career.

www.intelligencecareers.gov

That’s just a sample of what’s out there for those who know they want intel from the get-go. In the military, that’s a relatively small officer community and not the primary purpose of the SAs and ROTC programs.

Your son should also research the SA websites, read every page, link and hamburger/drop-down menu item to understand their mission and the officer specialty communities available. The SAs produce leaders and warriors first. Visiting the SAs and attending their summer programs is also a great way to explore whether the military path is a fit for him.

The sister of one of the mids we sponsored at USNA did the NSA program while a math major at Purdue. She was immediately hired by them after graduation, has rapidly progressed, and had her applied mathematics M.S. at a prestigious university paid for. She can’t talk about what she does, but she thoroughly enjoys her work. She knew the “warrior path” taken by her sister was not for her, and she also had a med issue that DQ’ed her from military service, which was not an issue for federal service.

And, there are plenty of introverts in the military. As long as you know how to get up and talk to and lead your people, engage with them, you’re fine.

 

[OldRetSWO]

He has been researching a career in military intelligence and it sounds like a great fit for him. However, when we told the commander of his MCJROTC unit that he wanted to go to USNA and become an intelligence officer, the reply was "Well that's not the Naval Academy."

Is that accurate, and if so, what is the best route to take to become an intelligence officer? Should he forego SAs altogether, or is there another SA he should be considering?

Although Intel is not easy to get right out of USNA, a fairly good percentage of the Intelligence Community Officers do come from USNA and that is because they laterally transfer from one of the line communities after they become qualified in that community. It is a widely held belief within many Navy communities that Intel briefers are more trusted/believable when they're wearing a warfare pin from Surface/Air/Subs and the way to get that is by first GOING to one of those communities.
West Point does allow more to select Intel at commissioning but many of the folks who choose non-combat arms details will find themselves sent to a combat arms unit and training as a first posting for basically the same reason.

 

[99Gold]

My son is a junior and has aspired to go to USNA for years. He has a very good chance of an appointment based upon his qualifications, but it is right for him in the career that he is considering? He is an introvert, analytical, a deep thinker, and knows copious amounts of information regarding military history, strategy, and geopolitics.

He has been researching a career in military intelligence and it sounds like a great fit for him. However, when we told the commander of his MCJROTC unit that he wanted to go to USNA and become an intelligence officer, the reply was "Well that's not the Naval Academy."

Is that accurate, and if so, what is the best route to take to become an intelligence officer? Should he forego SAs altogether, or is there another SA he should be considering?

He should look at USAFA! You described me to a tee and AF Intel was a great career field for me. I loved the mission (worked both air and space when that was possible), the research, the people, and the job. Intel was moderately competitive back in the day out of USAFA but an easier route than ROTC (get decent grades at USAFA and you're fine) but I'd be interested if anyone has a recent update on competitiveness.

 

[NeverSayNever]

In general - an "intel officer" in the Navy is not an intelligence analyst but a personnel manager and briefer of intelligence products. This is particularly true as a junior officer. If he is physically qualified for a "warfare" type job like pilot/surface warfare/subs etc - that will be what he is REQUIRED to do upon graduation. The only people allowed to go into specialty careers upon graduation are usually medically disqualified at some point to go into what the Navy calls "unrestricted line" jobs.

 

[ArmyOfOne81]

My DS is an applicant at USNA is interested in Intelligence and we are awaiting a decision. He has also secured an AROTC Scholarship for The Citadel and is enrolled in the Intelligence and Security Studies program and hopes to study abroad at some point.

 

[justdoit19]

My son is a junior and has aspired to go to USNA for years. He has a very good chance of an appointment based upon his qualifications, but it is right for him in the career that he is considering? He is an introvert, analytical, a deep thinker, and knows copious amounts of information regarding military history, strategy, and geopolitics.

He has been researching a career in military intelligence and it sounds like a great fit for him. However, when we told the commander of his MCJROTC unit that he wanted to go to USNA and become an intelligence officer, the reply was "Well that's not the Naval Academy."

Is that accurate, and if so, what is the best route to take to become an intelligence officer? Should he forego SAs altogether, or is there another SA he should be considering?

What did the commander of his MCJROTC suggest would be a good fit for him?

Another option, would be civilian, and Reserves/Guard. My oldest uses his similar personality/intelligence in an engineering civilian position that he loves, and is an intelligence person in his Guard duty. Loves his life he has made for himself. And he was able to schedule his training/basic until there was an opening in his job that he desired (Intelligence)

If your son attends a SA, needs of the XX service dictate. He may not get his desired community. So he would need to be ok with another assignment.

 

[Dr. Strange Love]

With his interests, suggest he also explore intel careers in the federal “ABC” agencies and departments which are hungry for career intelligence analysts. It’s a big community. They have college programs and internships. I am not talking about “door-kicker” agents here, but the community of functional experts and analysts in intel, cyber, logistics, operations planning, forensics, etc., who work in concert with operational types.

For example:

NSA student and internship programs

The National Security Agency offer internships, scholarships, a co-op program and more.

www.intelligencecareers.gov

Student Programs - CIA

www.cia.gov

Careers & Opportunities

Office of Naval Intelligence > Careers > Intern Programs

Students and Interns | FBIJOBS

Protect the American people and uphold the Constitution by joining the FBI as a special agent, intelligence analyst, or professional in over 200 career trajectories.

fbijobs.gov

Students | Homeland Security

Student Hiring Programs: Acquisition and Procurement, Cybersecurity, Pathways, Health and Science, I&A Internship, Law Enforcement, Legal, Public Affairs.

www.dhs.gov

Intelligence Community student and internship programs

We offer a wide variety of programs to jumpstart your career.

www.intelligencecareers.gov

That’s just a sample of what’s out there for those who know they want intel from the get-go. In the military, that’s a relatively small officer community and not the primary purpose of the SAs and ROTC programs.

Your son should also research the SA websites, read every page, link and hamburger/drop-down menu item to understand their mission and the officer specialty communities available. The SAs produce leaders and warriors first. Visiting the SAs and attending their summer programs is also a great way to explore whether the military path is a fit for him.

The sister of one of the mids we sponsored at USNA did the NSA program while a math major at Purdue. She was immediately hired by them after graduation, has rapidly progressed, and had her applied mathematics M.S. at a prestigious university paid for. She can’t talk about what she does, but she thoroughly enjoys her work. She knew the “warrior path” taken by her sister was not for her, and she also had a med issue that DQ’ed her from military service, which was not an issue for federal service.

And, there are plenty of introverts in the military. As long as you know how to get up and talk to and lead your people, engage with them, you’re fine.

.
Intelligence community is hungry for cleared “Highly Skilled” Science/Engineering … and “Especially” … moderately to highly skilled in “Data Engineering/Data Science”

DIA-DTRA-CIA-FBI-DHS-CBP

Steer your son/daughter to Science/Engineering … and YES … Data Science/Data Engineering … Big Data … Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Image Processing …

This is what this Country needs desperately to compete with the Chicoms …

USNA is perfect start … he/she has a lot of time to develop

Automation is everything …
.

 

[TAMUMom1990]

What did the commander of his MCJROTC suggest would be a good fit for him?

Another option, would be civilian, and Reserves/Guard. My oldest uses his similar personality/intelligence in an engineering civilian position that he loves, and is an intelligence person in his Guard duty. Loves his life he has made for himself. And he was able to schedule his training/basic until there was an opening in his job that he desired (Intelligence)

If your son attends a SA, needs of the XX service dictate. He may not get his desired community. So he would need to be ok with another assignment.

He thought he should consider being a naval aviator. That also interests my son, but I can't see him as a commercial pilot for a post military career.

 

[TAMUMom1990]

So glad I joined this forum! All this input is so helpful.

 

[A1Janitor]

He thought he should consider being a naval aviator. That also interests my son, but I can't see him as a commercial pilot for a post military career.

So he can stay in military or find a different career.

My son has many different career choices with his major. And though he can make a great income outside military - he might love his job and stay in.

 

[Capt MJ]

He thought he should consider being a naval aviator. That also interests my son, but I can't see him as a commercial pilot for a post military career.

Post military careers for aviators include a massive range of fields, in addition to commercial pilot. As with all officers, they are leaders and managers, with skills in strategic planning, risk analysis, resource allocation, change management, critical thinking, problem solving, workforce management, operations management, performance optimization, data-driven decision-making, team leadership, program/project management - a full range of skills suitable for business, entrepreneurship and other fields. Military aviators are found in many other career fields besides a cockpit. No limits.

 

[OldRetSWO]

Although Intel is not easy to get right out of USNA, a fairly good percentage of the Intelligence Community Officers do come from USNA and that is because they laterally transfer from one of the line communities after they become qualified in that community. It is a widely held belief within many Navy communities that Intel briefers are more trusted/believable when they're wearing a warfare pin from Surface/Air/Subs and the way to get that is by first GOING to one of those communities.
West Point does allow more to select Intel at commissioning but many of the folks who choose non-combat arms details will find themselves sent to a combat arms unit and training as a first posting for basically the same reason.

As an aside, my post Navy career was in Engineering/Project Management and then Business Development until I "laterally transferred" into, you guessed it, INTELLIGENCE. I was pulled out of my Business Development job to start a new "Market Research" function which was really competitive and customer intelligence focused. Just as the case with how warfare qualified intel folks are treated within the Navy, after a year, I found myself moved up to head the Competitive Intel function for what was a pretty large corporation. Interestingly enough, among my Intel "customers" were a retired Navy Intel Captain (a classmate) and a retired CIA Division Director and they were very happy with my intel work/products. My expertise in other functions prior to Intel was a big part of my value as an Intel leader.

 

[usna1985]

First, suggest he apply to USNA and maybe other SAs. There is no cost ( other than time and effort) in applying and, if successful, he can always change his mind before I-Day.

Second, while it’s late for NASS and similar programs at other SAs, it may not be too late. At least check. Another option is Candidate Visitation WE either this spring or in the fall. Either of these programs will give him more insight into USNA and SAs.

The above said, it is hard to go Intel directly from USNA. But he many not want to.

Third, look into ROTC.

Fourth, look into all the great programs listed by Capt MJ.

 

[OldRetSWO]

Post military careers for aviators include a massive range of fields, in addition to commercial pilot. As with all officers, they are leaders and managers, with skills in strategic planning, risk analysis, resource allocation, change management, critical thinking, problem solving, workforce management, operations management, performance optimization, data-driven decision-making, team leadership, program/project management - a full range of skills suitable for business, entrepreneurship and other fields. Military aviators are found in many other career fields besides a cockpit. No limits.

One of my final Reserve jobs was on a Battlegroup Staff unit filled with senior aviators. Of the three other Commanders/Captains, these were their Occupations.

CO (Navy F4 pilot) - Psychologist and started an specialty company to do short notice 2nd opinions on psych patients
XO (Navy F14 pilot) - Lawyer turned State Rep - Chairman of Ways and Means for a major state.
Cdr Staff guy (P3 pilot) - Pilot for Fed Ex

CO of our sister unit was a USNA classmate of mine (Navy P3 pilot) - Well known lawyer/prosecutor and now Presidential Appointee as General Counsel for the Navy

 

[justdoit19]

He thought he should consider being a naval aviator. That also interests my son, but I can't see him as a commercial pilot for a post military career.

One thing I figured out, is to let all the ‘career planning’ go. A SA Officer post military trajectory cannot be predicted. The leadership, responsibility they have for high value assets at an early age, etc on their resume that they will come out with, will open doors that wouldn't be otherwise.

At least that’s what I’ve been told and shown.

As a mom, I would put my worry aside about all this. And let them forge their way. You don’t want this to be heavily swayed by you, bc if they are unhappy, you will want clean hands.

Idk if this is child #1 heading on to the next chapter, but every single child (birth and borrowed, including friends) have changed their minds as far as careers.

Open doors. And in a year-ish, he can make his choice of the options before him. That’s my ‘mom advice’

 

[MidCakePa]

My son is a junior and has aspired to go to USNA for years. He has a very good chance of an appointment based upon his qualifications, but it is right for him in the career that he is considering? He is an introvert, analytical, a deep thinker, and knows copious amounts of information regarding military history, strategy, and geopolitics.

Sounds much like DD. She declared in middle school that she was USNA-bound. She also is an introvert and highly analytical.

Regarding the former, she put herself out there, going for prominent billets and leadership roles — and getting them. There’s nothing that says “introverts need not apply.” There are many at USNA.

Regarding the latter, analytical minds excel at USNA. It’s a STEM-centric school, after all. Plus, effective leadership is highly influenced by analytical decision-making. Hence the STEM focus.