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Subject: Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.
trancemitr    1/27/2004 3:04:45 PM
Hello, everyone. Just a little background on myself: I spent 6 years active duty in the Air Force working comm/nav on the RC-135 at Offutt. Got out for a year and a half and entered into the Reserves after 9/11. For the last year I've been working in Intel as one of the guys who actually listens in on DOD phone calls (those phones have a warning label for a reason).

I've been thinking of becoming an officer for a few years now when I finished my degree. I haven't been getting much help from the AF (Guard or Reserve) about getting commissioned, but the Army sure is happy to see me. A local Army Guard infantry unit here has a MI officer slot open, and I think I'm going to go for it.

The main reason I'm writing is to get some input on Army MI; what to expect as an MI officer, MI's role working with infantry, how it differs from other branch's Intel, thoughts on MI branch school, etc. The time I've spent in Intel has definitely gotten me interested in furthering my career in that area. After my time with the Air Force I'm actually kind of interested to see how the Army runs things. Thanks in advance for any information anyone here may have on the subject.
 
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macawman    RE:Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.   1/27/2004 8:41:45 PM
I think you will find being an MI officer in a Guard unit a thankless one. Read the comments of some former regular Army MI officers in the tread 'The demise of Strategic vs Tactical MI. In a NG unit they need an MI officer because the slot is there, and in the Regular Army they have an S-2 so the NG unit must have one also. In an NG you would be a security manager, not an intel officer, responsible for knowing the Security Regs but trying to get others to abide by them could be career ending.
 
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Horsesoldier    RE:Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.   4/25/2004 8:07:01 PM
Like Macawman. The battalion S-2 is usually not exactly a prestige posting. If you can find an actual MI unit (there is, for instance, a USAR MI brigade in my neck of the woods), things might be better. If you're somewhere around Utah, California, Alabama or Florida (not sure where else there are Group or Battalion Support Companies) you could also talk to the 19th or 20th Special Forces Groups -- they may have MI officer slots that would be a bit more exciting and with more of a real world mission than you're likely to find in an NG infantry unit. Or, if there's an SF unit you could just talk to them about commissioning as an 18A (SF officer) in the National Guard. Regular army is O-2P and O-3 for entry into SF, but in the 'Guard they can get 2nd Lieutenants into the unit and ship them off to selection, etc. It would have to be more fun than being an officer in the regular Nat'l Guard . . .
 
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DoubleOdanger(35D)    RE:Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.   5/9/2004 1:13:47 PM
As a new MI 2LT (on active duty) your first position will more than likely be Assistant to a BN S-2. You would definitely spend a lot of time with the deep recon guys (BRT, RISTA, LRSD, LRSC). If you're good you might end up being the LRSD platoon leader. Expect to put in long hours during the Military Decision Making Process(MDMP) and spend a lot of time researching weapons systems, equipment and organizations. Oh, and you're the BN weatherman too. This job is stressful because you will never be right; no matter how much data you have to work with there is no such thing as perfect intelligence especially in urban areas where HUMINT is all you can work with. Humans are just not predictable. Soldiers expect a lot out of MI Officers, sometimes they think we're fortune tellers or something.
 
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displacedjim    RE:Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.   5/12/2004 10:22:31 AM
Also, any time something happens to us, or something doesn't go exactly as planned, the first reaction out of the chain of command as they duck and cover is, "Another intelligence failure!" Displacedjim
 
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Sentinel    RE:Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.   1/9/2006 2:45:46 PM
Well, You'll have to go to OBC out in Arizona. The best place to be an MI officer is in the DC area, in my opinion. You can use your clearance to gain employment with any of the many intelligence agencies, CIA,DIA,DHS,FBI,NGA,NSA etc. You can literally take your pick! Plus, for your drill weekend you can drill at DIA or you can attend the JMIC (Joint Military Intelligence College), which means you will be getting paid to study strategic intelligence. Once you have your degree or certificate you will be able to roll that over into higher pay. An MI officer with a clearance and masters degree can EASILY make six figures. Traffic sucks though! That's the downside!
 
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Nanheyangrouchuan    more input   1/9/2006 2:56:42 PM
what's the word on this "linguist corps" the DOD is putting together? Is that intelligence too or just a tour guide for infantry?
 
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Carl S    RE:Linguists   1/9/2006 7:17:26 PM
Judging from past history both. Linguists earn their pay translating, which can be anywhere from a adhoc interogation on the street (tour guide situation) to working over documents or radio intercepts. I wonder how 'trancemitr' did with his career decision. I actually had to do intell stuff at the battalion level, but then the Marines are often a little different.
 
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HiloBill    RE:Becoming an Army MI officer; looking for input.   1/10/2006 6:12:35 AM
Can't really tell you about the specifics of Army MI (have no background in that field), but I can tell you about the Army after having served 20 years and retiring as an E-7 (MOSs: Legal, Medical, Recruiting). The Active Army is the largest force; it offers more advancement (probably quicker) and career enhancing schools/training. Since you're thinking about the NG, I can't really speak on that. Generally speaking, though, any reserve or guard units will not afford the same kind of advancement as Active Duty....why not go AD? Being in the Army you'll be exposed to a truly gung-ho kind of spirit rivaled only by the USMC. It's tough, but gratifying...and inspiring in a way that's hard to explain in this short response. As far as AD US Army, I loved it to the hilt; everything afterwards (in the civilian world) pales in comparison. In closing, I'd like to just pose the same question to you: Why not go Active Duty Army? WW
 
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