Hello! For anyone that may have direct experience/knowledge, I have a quick question regarding the aforementioned program in my subject header.
If/when I become active and deployed abroad, in what capacity would I function? In other words, being that I would be in the Navy reserves as an Intelligence officer, would my deployment abroad strictly be within the intelligence field? Or could I be assigned to other areas, as needed by the Navy?
The needs of the Navy always come first, and you could theoretically find yourself counting boxes in Kuwait.
However, you will attend school for Intel before mob-ing and your newly acquired skillsets will be put to use. I believe there's an Intel DCO Lt. on here that has first-hand gouge on the matter. I'll defer to his wisdom.
I wouldn't have a problem counting boxes, haha, whatever needed to be done, really.
I was just curious if it's more of the norm for an intel officer in the reserves to remain in Intel once deployed, or if it's completely unpredictable.
I suppose my question probably can't be answered with any certainty, which is OK.
The DCO program exists so that specific career fields (called designators in the Navy) are filled with folks that have experience/education in that particular field.
The application process, which I'm going through now, is a rigorous; aside from the typical government red-tape, you have to prove yourself through interviews, letters of reference and credentials that you are suited for a particular designator.
If you prove to be a good great Intel candidate, and are awarded a commission, you will be working in Intel, especially after your school cycles. The caveat is based on your competency. You make it through school(s), deploy to somewhere hot and sandy and prove to be a lousy leader, you may be re-assigned to any number of jobs. It's highly unlikely, but possible.
Your best bet is to get selected, first and foremost, then affiliate with a reserve unit and find a good Chief to lean on. He has a vested interest in teaching you how to avoid screwing the pooch and putting his sailors in peril.
Note: As mentioned before, I'm merely another prior-service candidate for DCO. However, I work with the USN every day as a contractor, and have at least five close friends serving as DCOs.
I don't know what it's like right now, but when the deployment rate for intel O's in my last unit was pretty high - circa 2005-2006 - we had people doing all kinds of "non-intel" things, often involving being assigned to another service branch.
From what I was told, this was actually preferable to remaining in an intel-specific job, because the latter usually involved sitting in a windowless room and staring at a computer screen for 12 hours at a stretch.
This is all second-hand info and very dated, of course.
TS/SCI clearances don't grow on trees. IF you are selected and IF you persist through the initial training and IF reserve officers are still being deployed however many years from now that ends up being THEN you will be doing intel work. The systems, practices, and deliverables won't be anything like the Navy uses, but it will be intel.
i am wondering what a good score is on the asvab to get into intel i am in my thirties and have some college 70 credits and would like to get into intel I know i have to do well on word comp electronics and math also where are the schools located and how long is the training? is this field in high demand now? i appreciate all responses
Originally posted by 22625533: i appreciate all responses
Applicants for Direct Commission are highly competitive. Generally speaking, those selected have relevant work experience paired with a masters degree.
I did my interviews for Intel back in August and met 10 or so other applicants from my area. All had degrees, and most had, or were working towards masters. Most had foreign language as well. Many were prior service, or drilling reservists. To the best of my knowledge, I was the only one of the group selected.
Very competitive indeed.
If you're really interested in serving, you may considering serving in an enlisted capacity while you complete your education. Intelligence is competitive as well. ASVAB scores look at different areas, such as mechanical reasoning, electrical knowledge, general knowledge, etc. There's an overall score assigned as well, AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test). AFQT is depicted as a percentage. The higher the score, the more 'trainable' the applicant. Most jobs in the military will require a minimum score (i.e. GT 110, EL 115). I don't know what scores are required or recommended for intel. Perhaps someone else can chime in.
