The popularity of James Bond films, and more recently the Jason Bourne series, have always had everyday citizens intrigued with “spies” – as they are called in Hollywood. While this terminology is not accurate for either James or Jason (intelligence officers manage spies who collect information for them) the role has inspired a great many to seek out answers on what it means to be an intelligence officer.
When you operate in the shadows, you celebrate in the shadows.
After the tragic events of 9/11 applications in the intelligence community went through the roof and with the Global War on Terror raging still, the volume of wannabe intelligence officers is still remarkably high. In the content that follows, we will help describe the realities of these positions, while also explaining the process for entering the US Intelligence community.
Before someone applies to any of the 17 member agencies of the United States Intelligence Community, it is important to know what function you want to play in that community. It must be understood that the vast majority of individuals in the community are not field operators. However, such positions do exist and we will attempt to explain the best ways to seek those out as we progress in the article.
When thinking of the intelligence community, most minds go right to the movies, but operators and analysts are not the only positions available, far from it. Think of the Intelligence Community as its own ecosystem, where all the roles you would find in the outside (non-classified) world exist.
Whether you are a scientist, a doctor, a lawyer, a custodian, a general contractor, a pilot or an artist – you can find a home in the intelligence community. Just remember this, and we will repeat this often, your main goal to break into this selective world is just to be accepted in the first place. Once you have a clearance and are in the community, while not necessarily easy, it is far more possible to move around from organization to organization or switch roles.
To start, let’s review who is in the Intelligence Community. While most immediately think of CIA or NSA, there is far more depth to the community. It is also important to understand that not all of the agencies operate in the same fashion.
Intelligence Community Members
- Office of the National Director of Intelligence (DNI)
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
- Department of Energy (DoE)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Department of State (DoS)
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Department of the Treasury
- US Navy
- US Army
- US Air Force
- US Coast Guard
The Big Dogs
The most prominent and well known members of the intelligence community are no doubt CIA and NSA. Sure, everyone knows the FBI, but given their law enforcement bent and charter being focused on domestic intelligence gathering, “the agency” (CIA) and NSA often come to mind first.
I cannot tell you how many times I have had students speak to me and be dead set on working for CIA, without giving as much as a second of consideration to the other members of the IC. CIA can be a great organization to work for, but they – like all organizations – come with their problems too.
The main point being, do not limit yourself to applying to CIA and just hope for the best. It is the most difficult of the 17 members to gain entry to and not necessarily the best fit for you.
The same goes for NSA. Entry is difficult, and if you are not a mathematician, linguist or engineer of some sort, they are probably not going to be the best fit. That said, all of the IC members have positions that buck the norm and will align better with your skills. For example, NSA does have positions for regular analysts, background investigators, polygraphers, etc.
Apply Everywhere
Whether you are in your last year of school or just wanting a career change, if you decide that the intelligence community is where you want to land, then apply to as many positions as you can.
Yes, this sounds desperate. Yes, this takes more time to complete the long applications online. However, in this ultra-competitive world you will need to have as many irons in the fire as possible.
To find multiple positions search each organization’s website or USAJobs.Gov. If you are looking for operations or analysis roles, once in the search area, look up ‘0132’, which is the designator for most intelligence positions.
