Hello, I have a few questions for anybody with some spare time and an interest in helping out. A few weeks ago I was at MEPS hoping to sign the paperwork and get the ball rolling when, after hanging out all day, I am told that there aren't any seats available for MI at the moment. My first question is as follows...

Does anybody have any idea as to when the training for 2010 will post? As of right now, I am just sitting around waiting for a call from the recruiter. As I said, it's only been a few weeks, just wondering due to the recruiter now knowing.

My second question is more of a future prospect one. Assuming all goes well with BCT and 35M AIT, I have got a few questions about future options.

1) What does it take to be assigned to a SF unit? My original interest was in pursuing SF via 18x but the risk of being placed into an 11x MOS because of some unforeseen injury or unfortunate accident inspired me to browse the other options. 35M quickly revealed itself as a desirable and interesting MOS for me. Once I heard that you could be attached to a SF unit as 35M, well, my interest was quickly piqued. Can you be attached to a SF unit without actually being SF? By that I mean, can you spend some time with a SF unit without/before attending SFAS? Any information on this subject will be appreciated.

2) After spending some time as a 35M (and reaching E5), how difficult is it to move to 35L? CI sounds to me, and obviously I could be wrong, as a more in-depth MI job that could be valuable for my future post-military career. I plan to, regardless of what I do in the Army, finish my degree and go for a job with the FBI or possibly Secret Service. From what I hear, 35L is a good thing to have experience with.

No seats available for MI sounds like BS - they're putting people through the course like no ones business with little to no quality control.

It's possible that your first duty could be to support an SF Unit however it all depends on your departure from AIT and needs of the army. Don't think for a second you'll have a say in your initial station because more times than not, they're filling slots for their needs

Requesting dual MOS 35L only needs a Commander's Signature and 24 months left on your contract for an E5 however I cannot think of any commander who would want to lose a soldier for that long for training when the likelihood of deploying within your first year in the army is all but certain. You can still get a well-rounded MI background without having to get another MOS. The army has enough schools to make you marketable to 3 letter agencies but don't think you'll be a slam dunk for one of those organizations without a broad background.

dlb is right about putting people thru MI. They are not full. Find another recruiter who isn't so focused on filling positions. That doesn't mean you'll be going to AIT the month you graduate basic tho.

As far as 35L goes, it's kinda like going for a TS/SCI clearance. They are looking for certain kinds of people; those who can maintain good ethics but be around people who aren't necessarily ethical. You have to prove you can be trusted to be a federal agent and can fit in in a small team environment.

Don't expect you'll be pulled for SF duty for a while. Those of us who have been around for several years know we can volunteer for that with a deploying SF unit and can request to be taken based on our experience. The only way they would take a newbie is because they haven't filled their own slots and no one has volunteered to be taken, which isn't likely. Do your job well for a few years and be vocal about wanting to go and you'll go. Otherwise, others will go in your place.

Thanks for the prompt responses. Regarding the training being full, I was sitting at the desk at MEPS with the councillor when he pulled up the job and showed me a screen that had a list of things. It said FAIL next to training seats or something like that. I was ready to sign at that very moment. It sucked, especially after sitting there for 14 hours. I hear that I need to get used to that, waiting that is.

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It's possible that your first duty could be to support an SF Unit however it all depends on your departure from AIT and needs of the army.

So you're saying that being support for a SF unit doesn't require you to attend any type of SF training? What about BAC at least?

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Requesting dual MOS 35L only needs a Commander's Signature and 24 months left on your contract for an E5 however I cannot think of any commander who would want to lose a soldier for that long for training when the likelihood of deploying within your first year in the army is all but certain.

I may be confused by this sentence. Are you saying that a commander would not want to give an E5 time to train as 35L? If so, I was under the impression that this MOS is not an entry level MOS and that it required E5 to train into. Where do they get 35L's if the commanders don't sign off?

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Don't expect you'll be pulled for SF duty for a while. Those of us who have been around for several years know we can volunteer for that with a deploying SF unit and can request to be taken based on our experience.

What is the appeal to supporting a SF unit? Just wondering as your post implies that experienced MI soldiers can volunteer relatively easily, but some don't. Is there a major change in duties or deployments that would cause somebody to pursue volunteering or aviod it?

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Originally posted by 16782730:
Thanks for the prompt responses. Regarding the training being full, I was sitting at the desk at MEPS with the councillor when he pulled up the job and showed me a screen that had a list of things. It said FAIL next to training seats or something like that. I was ready to sign at that very moment. It sucked, especially after sitting there for 14 hours. I hear that I need to get used to that, waiting that is.

quote:

It's possible that your first duty could be to support an SF Unit however it all depends on your departure from AIT and needs of the army.

So you're saying that being support for a SF unit doesn't require you to attend any type of SF training? What about BAC at least?

quote:

Requesting dual MOS 35L only needs a Commander's Signature and 24 months left on your contract for an E5 however I cannot think of any commander who would want to lose a soldier for that long for training when the likelihood of deploying within your first year in the army is all but certain.

I may be confused by this sentence. Are you saying that a commander would not want to give an E5 time to train as 35L? If so, I was under the impression that this MOS is not an entry level MOS and that it required E5 to train into. Where do they get 35L's if the commanders don't sign off?

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Don't expect you'll be pulled for SF duty for a while. Those of us who have been around for several years know we can volunteer for that with a deploying SF unit and can request to be taken based on our experience.

What is the appeal to supporting a SF unit? Just wondering as your post implies that experienced MI soldiers can volunteer relatively easily, but some don't. Is there a major change in duties or deployments that would cause somebody to pursue volunteering or aviod it?

Correct me someone if I'm wrong but most MI attachments workload deal moreso with specifically potent data pertaining to the mission of each SF's mission. Whereas if you're attached to a regular infantry or MI unit, you'll be compounding more general data.

SF units are nicer to work with in my opinion because they have a lot less BS to deal with. Leg army units don't really work well with civilian clothes/beards etc or anything relating to that kind of duty. SF units understand it.

"So you're saying that being support for a SF unit doesn't require you to attend any type of SF training? What about BAC at least?"
- You'll still be doing your own job in almost every case, not being an SF operator. There are rare occasions where they are shorthanded or whatever tho.

You have to be an NCO to apply for 35L. You'll also have to go through the whole agent adjudication process first to become accepted.

There may not be training seats for the next several classes but that doesn't mean you can't sign up as a 35M and wait for your school.

You'll definitely get a LOT of waiting in the army. Then they'll tell you you need to hurry up and do the next step or go to the next place and then you'll wait there too. It's typically part of every army process.

I prefer SF missions over non-SF but there are some good non-SF missions as well. Every mission can be beneficial if you know how to do it.

"Correct me someone if I'm wrong but most MI attachments workload deal moreso with specifically potent data pertaining to the mission of each SF's mission. Whereas if you're attached to a regular infantry or MI unit, you'll be compounding more general data."
- You'll be augmenting whatever mission you're on. SF missions are just different in scope and focus than typical units. Your job could be extremely tactical or broadly strategic in either case.

Sounds like Pogue101 was thinking more along the lines of an analytical MOS instead of a collection MOS.

I just signed a contract for 35M which i've been trying to get for a while now and i'm very glad that it finally popped up, (ship on Nov. 2 2009) and I was looking over the forums again for information. I noticed here...

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Leg army units don't really work well with civilian clothes/beards etc or anything relating to that kind of duty. SF units understand it.

I must have missed this the first time I read through. Are you saying that HUMINT soldiers are sometimes able to wear civilian clothes and grow beards? What kind of experience do you need before you are doing this type of thing? Is it just mission based or are you assigned to a particular mission style (not sure what it's called but it would be like a tactical unit in local law enforcement for example?) Seems like that would be the way it works seeing as you can't grow a beard in a couple of days.

Another question, what kind of activities take place during AIT? I'm not looking for any sensitive information, just wondering the general style. Is it a Power Point spam or are there physical activities that take place. Any information is appreciated.

Finally, any advice on what to look for as far as volunteering for extra training or any other advice for somebody about to start in the MI HUMINT field?

Edit: I remember seeing these acronyms somewhere in a discussion on training that 35M soldiers should pursue, it might have even been on these forums, I don't remember. Any idea as to what they are? May have been a joke, can't hurt to ask. Google doesn't pull up much.
DSDC, SOC, JAIC

All of the initial enlistment soldiers need to relax.

Unless you go RIP and actually make it, there is no saying which unit (SOF, Conventional, Strat) where you'll end up at. I've seen soldiers who pass PT tests who are assigned to Group while stellar soldiers are assigned to general conventional units. Branch is not going to let someone with less than a year in service to determine where or to which unit one will be assigned to.

As someone with two overseas deployments in civilian clothes and once with relaxed grooming standards, it worked well as long as the unit understands they're not secret squirrels or SOF. Of course, there will be one soldier who usually screws it up for everyone else and they'll go back to sanitized ACUs for the duration of the deployment.

As a junior enlisted, the liklihood that you'll be selected for an intel school is slim. Junior enlisted I've seen at the school, or attending don't have the maturity or knowledge base to be successful - of course there's always exceptions but the best a new soldier can do is complete requisite unit training, do the right thing and do it well - and if you're lucky, you'll be selected. Another way is try to fast track to get your stripes, that will show your unit you have the maturity and should help your chances.

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All of the initial enlistment soldiers need to relax.

I would understand if I were coming one here stating, "I saw Jack Bauer kill five guys with a pencil eraser and I want to be Delta Force too!!onez0rz...

I know that type of post would get annoying but I have never found it to be disadvantageous to research the options available and to seek advice about opportunities available when starting something new.

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it worked well as long as the unit understands they're not secret squirrels or SOF. Of course, there will be one soldier who usually screws it up for everyone else and they'll go back to sanitized ACUs for the duration of the deployment

Not sure what you mean here. What type of actions are common that will cause problems for this situation? By that I mean, what kind of thing is this 'one soldier' usually doing?

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As a junior enlisted, the liklihood that you'll be selected for an intel school is slim. Junior enlisted I've seen at the school, or attending don't have the maturity or knowledge base to be successful - of course there's always exceptions but the best a new soldier can do is complete requisite unit training, do the right thing and do it well - and if you're lucky, you'll be selected.

That's one thing that I was asking about. What are some of the intel schools that are available? Is 'requisite unit training' some type of specialized training that you will get based off of the type of missions that you unit will be doing? Like extra training in interrogation techniques for an interrogation unit, etc.

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Another way is try to fast track to get your stripes, that will show your unit you have the maturity and should help your chances.

What do you mean 'fast track'? Coming in at a higher rank and doing the pre-ship requirements to get a higher rank?

quote:

Originally posted by 16782730:

quote:

All of the initial enlistment soldiers need to relax.

I would understand if I were coming one here stating, "I saw Jack Bauer kill five guys with a pencil eraser and I want to be Delta Force too!!onez0rz...

I know that type of post would get annoying but I have never found it to be disadvantageous to research the options available and to seek advice about opportunities available when starting something new.

quote:

it worked well as long as the unit understands they're not secret squirrels or SOF. Of course, there will be one soldier who usually screws it up for everyone else and they'll go back to sanitized ACUs for the duration of the deployment

Not sure what you mean here. What type of actions are common that will cause problems for this situation? By that I mean, what kind of thing is this 'one soldier' usually doing?

quote:

As a junior enlisted, the liklihood that you'll be selected for an intel school is slim. Junior enlisted I've seen at the school, or attending don't have the maturity or knowledge base to be successful - of course there's always exceptions but the best a new soldier can do is complete requisite unit training, do the right thing and do it well - and if you're lucky, you'll be selected.

That's one thing that I was asking about. What are some of the intel schools that are available? Is 'requisite unit training' some type of specialized training that you will get based off of the type of missions that you unit will be doing? Like extra training in interrogation techniques for an interrogation unit, etc.

quote:

Another way is try to fast track to get your stripes, that will show your unit you have the maturity and should help your chances.

What do you mean 'fast track'? Coming in at a higher rank and doing the pre-ship requirements to get a higher rank?

Hey, numbers. By relax, we mean you can't enlist for SF unless you come in as 18X. You are going to a normal unit. You will have to do your time at that unit. You could ask for 35L after a deployment or a couple of years. They don't have to give it to you. If you make E5, then see if you can re-enlist for it.

As far as SF goes, you can apply once you get to your unit. There are different ways to get there. I'm not going to discuss that any further on an open internet forum. But at any rate, you are going to look a lot more attractive once you've deployed. Keep in mind there's guys running around with three or four one-year combat deployments, with lots of expertise in doing their job (and likely a couple of jobs they DIDN'T train for) in several different missions operationally. They're pretty good candidates. You are a new guy. So get to your unit, learn some stuff, deploy, do well, then start asking for cool stuff.

And good luck.

And as far as MEPS counselor not pulling up any slots? Yeah, they did that to me too. I left MEPS calmly and behold they had that slot I wanted next time I can through. This only works if you are trying for a common slot, and trust me, they need 35M. Just relax, a slot will open up. The computers are weird sometimes, and your recruiter may be under pressure to push you into a different slot. You can wait it out, or sign on for something else.

I got the same thing from my recruiter when looking for a 35m slot. they said there were none open. then i came back the next week and they had 2 slots open, so i reserved one. i just went to MEPS yesterday to finalized everything and swore in. i'm shipping out on nov 4, 2009. it sounds like we might be going through at the same time then?

i'm also interested in being able to go out with SF units, but also ranger units. i've been asking a lot about getting into ranger school, but everyone i've talked to has said that i have to wait until AIT or even when i get to my unit. does anyone else have anything they can add to this to help me understand it better?

Next to no one has any say in their first duty station. Re-enlist when your window opens up for that particular unit