HUMINT and Special Operations

[cgeyser93]

I know there are numerous threads on the topic of 35M's and SF, and while a few are dated they all possess some very great information (albeit incomplete).

I have a few questions (I hope) I can get answered without violating any OPSEC. As I have posted in my intro (http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/intro-cgeyser93.18777/), I am a 19 year old with a 35M contract leaving in November.

1) Being that my contract has no options, is it possible to receive an assignment to an SF information group as a first assignment? I always try my best in everything I do, but is there some sort of process I need to initiate to be considered for something like this?

2) Are SOT-A's open exclusively to 35P's? I've read a good amount of information on these attachments but only in reference to MOS 35P, I have seen nothing as to whether or not HUMINT is present.

3) I'm very adamant about pursuing a career in the Army , in terms of a long-term career is shooting for something like USAISA 5-6 years down the line something that would be only considered if I was an 18 series, or would having a background in SOF support be just as good?


I'm sorry for the wall of text but I realize I'm stepping into an MOS with a lot of uncertainty (at least personally) as to where/how I'll be utilized and I've been unable to get a lot clarity on the subject.

I'm very determine to work in SOF, and while my job is currently in intelligence I would still very much like to be in the field as an enabler (SFAS is something I'm looking at but if I can be in the field as an enabler I feel I would be best suited for that.)

Again sorry for the wall of text

 

[x SF med]

Much of the information you have requested will not be given out here. Some of it is available at goarmy.com. Some of it you will not find anywhere. I'll let the current Intel/Humint guys answer what they can, they know more than me.

You really need to work on your security awareness prior to heading for basic.

 

[cgeyser93]

Much of the information you have requested will not be given out here. Some of it is available at goarmy.com. Some of it you will not find anywhere. I'll let the current Intel/Humint guys answer what they can, they know more than me.

You really need to work on your security awareness prior to heading for basic.

I haven't posted anything here that isn't posted elsewhere on forums, I will remove any information that should not be posted here just let me know what that is.

Thanks

-Cgeyser93

 

[AWP]

I haven't posted anything here that isn't posted elsewhere on forums, I will remove any information that should not be posted here just let me know what that is.
Thanks
-Cgeyser93

I'm not an Intel guy, but I don't see where you posted anything objectionable. With that said, a lot of what you're asking is already on this forum.

I'm not going to close this thread, but I would ask that other members refrain from posting until the OP has done more research and answered his own questions first. After that we'll worry about what can/ can't be answered such as going to a SOF unit right out of AIT.

Go do some reading and get back to us.

 

[Marauder06]

I know there are numerous threads on the topic of 35M's and SF, and while a few are dated they all possess some very great information (albeit incomplete).

I have a few questions (I hope) I can get answered without violating any OPSEC. As I have posted in my intro (http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/intro-cgeyser93.18777/), I am a 19 year old with a 35M contract leaving in November.

1) Being that my contract has no options, is it possible to receive an assignment to an SF information group as a first assignment? I always try my best in everything I do, but is there some sort of process I need to initiate to be considered for something like this?

2) Are SOT-A's open exclusively to 35P's? I've read a good amount of information on these attachments but only in reference to MOS 35P, I have seen nothing as to whether or not HUMINT is present.

3) I'm very adamant about pursuing a career in the Army , in terms of a long-term career is shooting for something like USAISA 5-6 years down the line something that would be only considered if I was an 18 series, or would having a background in SOF support be just as good?


I'm sorry for the wall of text but I realize I'm stepping into an MOS with a lot of uncertainty (at least personally) as to where/how I'll be utilized and I've been unable to get a lot clarity on the subject.

I'm very determine to work in SOF, and while my job is currently in intelligence I would still very much like to be in the field as an enabler (SFAS is something I'm looking at but if I can be in the field as an enabler I feel I would be best suited for that.)

Again sorry for the wall of text

I'm sure that by now you have heeded my brothers' advice above and are avidly researching this topic on your own. When you post again, please explain what an SF "information group" is, I'm unfamiliar with that term. Also, this part:

I'm very determined to work in SOF, and while my job is currently in intelligence I would still very much like to be in the field as an enabler

I want to make sure you don't think that being intel and being an enabler are two separate functions. They're not. If you're not the operational element, you are the support element, AKA an "enabler." There are two ways to read that part of your post, maybe you just meant that you wanted to be an enabler in the field, not an enabler behind a desk, in which case I get that. Now, as for this last bit:

I haven't posted anything here that isn't posted elsewhere on forums, I will remove any information that should not be posted here just let me know what that is.
-Cgeyser93

I'm pretty sure you don't have the ability to edit your posts, even if you wanted to. Moreover, just because something is compromised, doesn't mean it is declassified; just because national security has been jeopardized on other threads, doesn't mean we're going to allow it here. Because we don't. Finally, part of maintaining OPSEC is neither confirming nor denying information that may or may not have been compromised. So no, we're not going to point out incidences where OPSEC might have occurred, we either handle it quietly or ignore it completely, since making a big deal out of something often simply makes it more interesting to others and makes any potential compromise worse.

To conclude, I'm confident that any of the many intel enablers with SOF experience on this forum could easily answer all of your questions-- but then again, I'm pretty sure you can answer them yourself. Demonstrate that you have researched this yourself, and I'm confident you will get the help you need. I'll close by offering you my opinion that at this point in your career, you are planning WAY to far ahead. As far as you're concerned, you should be focused on completing your initial entry training and your first duty station-- that's all. You may not realize it, but it's a bit insulting to those of us who have made it into the types of units you ultimately aspire to join that a 19 year old who has been nowhere and done nothing thinks he can make it into our ranks at all, much less in the extremely ambitious and IMO completely unattainable goal of 5-6 years.

I'll conclude by saying I find it hard to believe that anyone who has read through the appropriate threads on this specific forum (Intel and Support Ops), especially my threads, would need to ask questions one or two. I think my previous paragraph addresses question #3.

 

[cgeyser93]

I'm pretty sure you don't have the ability to edit your posts, even if you wanted to. Moreover, just because something is compromised, doesn't mean it is declassified; just because national security has been jeopardized on other threads, doesn't mean we're going to allow it here. Because we don't. Finally, part of maintaining OPSEC is neither confirming nor denying information that may or may not have been compromised. So no, we're not going to point out incidences where OPSEC might have occurred, we either handle it quietly or ignore it completely, since making a big deal out of something often simply makes it more interesting to others and makes any potential compromise worse.

I completely understand what you're saying about the OPSEC, I'll refrain from making personal decisions as to what is/isn't appropriate for public consumption from here on out.

I want to make sure you don't think that being intel and being an enabler are two separate functions. They're not. If you're not the operational element, you are the support element, AKA an "enabler." There are two ways to read that part of your post, maybe you just meant that you wanted to be an enabler in the field, not an enabler behind a desk, in which case I get that.

Precisely, from the only 35M I have been able to get direct contact with he had basically told me he was deployed for a short duration and rarely went outside the wire. I wanted to be clear I really want the opportunity to work in the field, my choice of words wasn't the best.

To conclude, I'm confident that any of the many intel enablers with SOF experience on this forum could easily answer all of your questions-- but then again, I'm pretty sure you can answer them yourself. Demonstrate that you have researched this yourself, and I'm confident you will get the help you need. I'll close by offering you my opinion that at this point in your career, you are planning WAY to far ahead. As far as you're concerned, you should be focused on completing your initial entry training and your first duty station-- that's all. You may not realize it, but it's a bit insulting to those of us who have made it into the types of units you ultimately aspire to join that a 19 year old who has been nowhere and done nothing thinks he can make it into our ranks at all, much less in the extremely ambitious and IMO completely unattainable goal of 5-6 years.

I didn't mean to assert the idea that "I could do that" I merely wanted to make my goals (in terms of a career the the Army) clear, and while the duties of these jobs and positions are posted about often (and motivate me to pursue these jobs more than anything) the pipeline and how people have actually achieved their status is a much more elusive bit of information. I'm sorry if I bogged down the forum with my questions, but I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't spent an amount of time I thought commensurate with the information I was looking for. I've received some PM's and I am still searching the forums, maybe I'm looking for more of a mentor than simple answers, I'm just not sure. I'm really looking for a role-model, someone's footsteps I can follow in to reach my dreams. I understand these sorts of communities are very closed, I have all the respect in the world for what you guys do and want nothing more than do be like you, but I'm just looking for a little guidance. I know I have a lot of questions and it must seem annoying and I really hope I didn't come off as arrogant.

 

[cgeyser93]

I'm sure that by now you have heeded my brothers' advice above and are avidly researching this topic on your own. When you post again, please explain what an SF "information group" is, I'm unfamiliar with that term.

From my understanding the 4th and 8th Military Information Support Groups (Airborne) were the entities that supplied people like 35M's to the SF groups. (I could be completely wrong, I simply pulled that hypothesis off of sofrep at this link >http://sofrep.com/usasoc/< )

 

[Marauder06]

From my understanding the 4th and 8th Military Information Support Groups (Airborne) were the entities that supplied people like 35M's to the SF groups. (I could be completely wrong, I simply pulled that hypothesis off of sofrep at this link >http://sofrep.com/usasoc/< )

Thanks for the link. When I was in 5th Group we got all of our intel enablers through MI branch. I think the MISG is what we used to call PSYOP or something related, I'm not sure it has much to do with intel.

 

[AWP]

From my understanding the 4th and 8th Military Information Support Groups (Airborne) were the entities that supplied people like 35M's to the SF groups. (I could be completely wrong, I simply pulled that hypothesis off of sofrep at this link >http://sofrep.com/usasoc/< )

Those are PSYOP units. A cursory Google search would reveal that.

 

[cgeyser93]

Those are PSYOP units. A cursory Google search would reveal that.

You are correct, I made an incorrect assumption.

 

[goon175]

For others who may be reading this that have the same goals as cgeyser93:

It is great to have goals. If your goal is to be in an SMU, than so be it. Realize it is a long road, but an attainable goal if you work your ass off and perform well not just in schools but every single day. When I say "perform well" I mean that you need to be in the top 1-2%. It should not be your initial goal, or even your 2nd or 3rd goal.

Now, @Marauder06 stated above it is extremely ambitious to shoot for an SMU on a 5-6 year time frame (I have seen it done). When I first came to this board, I was at a crossroads in my military career, and going to an intelligence SMU was something I had thought of as a goal. With 5 years of experience in 1/75, I still did not feel like I was at that level. Typing this right now, with 8 years of experience in the army - 5 of them SOF, I do not feel like I am at that level. If I, at this point, do not feel I am at that level, then you - as the non-military hopeful saying they want to go there - well, like Marauder said, VERY ambitious.

Again, it's ok to have goals in the back of your head, someday down the road I kind of want to open up a really nice hotel/restaurant... but keep it in the back of your head and focus on the goals that are closest to you, and more than likely necessary for you to excel at in order to hit those long term goals in the back of your head.

I once had a young man come into my office who said he wanted to be in "Delta Force". I didn't laugh at him, I gave him much the same talk as above, and did my best to get him ready for the rigors ahead. He quit in Infantry OSUT. Not literally, he is an infantryman in a conventional unit now, but he quit on the plan we made.

Focus on the near term goals, if you don't, you may underestimate them and they will kick your ass.

 

[Brill]

wall of text

1) Yes, possibly (USASFC has their own HUMINTers (sometimes get RFFs from INSCOM) but they don't pull 35-series from MISO;

2) Right now 35Ps only but there's talk of adding 35S (needed IMO) but the only way you'll be out with a team "like" that is a multi-function team in a BFSB. To be honest, I'm not really sure why an ODA would even need a 35M since they usually have so many ASO qualified guys.

3) Sigh. If you want SMU as an intel guy, you should go to the 75th's RSTB so you'll get experience in your MOS and fieldcraft.

 

[cgeyser93]

1) Yes, possibly (USASFC has their own HUMINTers (sometimes get RFFs from INSCOM) but they don't pull 35-series from MISO;

2) Right now 35Ps only but there's talk of adding 35S (needed IMO) but the only way you'll be out with a team "like" that is a multi-function team in a BFSB. To be honest, I'm not really sure why an ODA would even need a 35M since they usually have so many ASO qualified guys.

3) Sigh. If you want SMU as an intel guy, you should go to the 75th's RSTB so you'll get experience in your MOS and fieldcraft.

Thank you very much for the info, I really appreciate it. I'm sure it doesn't get any less annoying seeing all these teenagers thinking they can be SMU, but it's a dream and I wanted to throw it out there.

-Cgeyser93