About This Career

Intelligence officers provide a service that is crucial for our national defense. These officers develop and execute plans, policies, and procedures that facilitate intelligence functions. They are experts on all intelligence disciplines and their application across the spectrum of military operations. They may conduct counter-intelligence operations to safeguard against adversarial threats. Some intelligence officers specialize in one form of intelligence, such as imagery, signals, or human intelligence.

This career is part of the Government and Public Administration cluster National Security pathway.

A person in this career:

• Plans, directs, manages, coordinates, and participates in the collection, production, and dissemination of intelligence information and in conducting counterintelligence investigations and operations
• Collects, processes, and disseminates information concerning threats involving terrorism, sabotage, espionage, subversion, and other hostile foreign intelligence activities
• Collects information about the organization, mission, tactics, and operating methods of friendly and enemy intelligence units and personnel
• Conducts target analysis and intelligence preparation of the battlespace (maritime, air, ground)
• Evaluates impact of legislative action, executive orders, regulations, directions, and management decisions on intelligence operations
• Executes collection management by converting intelligence requirements into collection requirements, coordinating with appropriate collection sources or agencies
• Supervises search, jamming, and deception operations, and conversion of cryptographic messages
• Integrates intelligence activities into other military operations, plans, and programs
• Assists in the development of threat and vulnerability assessments for Department of Defense networks and assists in identifying appropriate countermeasures
• Conducts and oversees interrogations, briefings, and debriefings

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Overnight travel