wherestarsglow
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2010
- Messages
- 8
I have some substantial questions about being an Intelligence officer (particularly in the Army). I have been appointed to USMA and am still hazy on some of these concepts below. They are directed mainly towards a very specific audience, so it is possible no one will be able to answer some of these questions. That's fine. Thank you.
-What tasks are involved as an intelligence officer? If I understand correctly (please correct these assumptions if they are skewed), you pick your base but you might train somewhere else in preparation for going to Fort Hood, for example. Once you get situated at your selected base, the Army will give you tasks to do that will probably involve analyzing material in some way. Will the tasks you do depend on what post you go to (maybe some post has a military intelligence specialization) or is it all just circumstantial? Also, if you perform well, are you "rewarded" with a more critical task or something or do you generally stay in the same position? Will the job of a person who majored in counterterrorism and Arabic differ from the job of a person who majored in Farsi and computer science? So generally, I am wondering if your skills and outside knowledge will give you an advantage in both performing well and doing the things you're interested in.
-Will you necessarily have a platoon of people under you like I would imagine in a branch such as infantry?
-Also, what type of person is successful in a military intelligence position? (capabilities, education etc.)
-Are you going to move around no matter what for your 5 years (and beyond) or just stay at the same post? What determines this if anything? Also, what is the likelihood that an officer will be going to the Middle East or wherever the conflict is? Is the impression correct that intelligence is largely centered around technology and not necessarily located where the "action" is (at least as compared to armor or something)? I do realize that of course there are intelligence cells in the Middle East (for interrogations and proximity advantages etc.) but how many intelligence officers are in America as compared to abroad in Afghanistan or Iraq?
-What tasks are involved as an intelligence officer? If I understand correctly (please correct these assumptions if they are skewed), you pick your base but you might train somewhere else in preparation for going to Fort Hood, for example. Once you get situated at your selected base, the Army will give you tasks to do that will probably involve analyzing material in some way. Will the tasks you do depend on what post you go to (maybe some post has a military intelligence specialization) or is it all just circumstantial? Also, if you perform well, are you "rewarded" with a more critical task or something or do you generally stay in the same position? Will the job of a person who majored in counterterrorism and Arabic differ from the job of a person who majored in Farsi and computer science? So generally, I am wondering if your skills and outside knowledge will give you an advantage in both performing well and doing the things you're interested in.
-Will you necessarily have a platoon of people under you like I would imagine in a branch such as infantry?
-Also, what type of person is successful in a military intelligence position? (capabilities, education etc.)
-Are you going to move around no matter what for your 5 years (and beyond) or just stay at the same post? What determines this if anything? Also, what is the likelihood that an officer will be going to the Middle East or wherever the conflict is? Is the impression correct that intelligence is largely centered around technology and not necessarily located where the "action" is (at least as compared to armor or something)? I do realize that of course there are intelligence cells in the Middle East (for interrogations and proximity advantages etc.) but how many intelligence officers are in America as compared to abroad in Afghanistan or Iraq?