Intel AND Spec Ops

[0699]

Something I learned a long time ago...

You either find the job you love and move whereever that job takes you, or you decide where you want to live and take the job that is available there. Very rarely can you have your cake and eat it too.

 

[JrodBones]

Something I learned a long time ago...

You either find the job you love and move whereever that job takes you, or you decide where you want to live and take the job that is available there. Very rarely can you have your cake and eat it too.

0699,
I've definitely found that to be true too...especially in the reserve component. That's the exact reason I'm in the MOS that I'm in, because it's the only one offered here in Phoenix, AZ. However, I'm definitely willing to travel every month in order to do an job that I will love and will commit to. Now it's just a matter of finding it. I know I want to do the CI/HUMINT job, I'm just curious as to how they're placed throughout the Marine Corps and Army and how they work with/in the special operations capable units.

I appreciate your advice.

 

[Brill]

I wish a 35m would admit what they really do: nothing high speed and clandestine.

I'm not MOS bashing here but the Cloak & Dagger it is not.

 

[0699]

0699,
I've definitely found that to be true too...especially in the reserve component. That's the exact reason I'm in the MOS that I'm in, because it's the only one offered here in Phoenix, AZ. However, I'm definitely willing to travel every month in order to do an job that I will love and will commit to. Now it's just a matter of finding it. I know I want to do the CI/HUMINT job, I'm just curious as to how they're placed throughout the Marine Corps and Army and how they work with/in the special operations capable units.

I appreciate your advice.

Dude. You COMPLETELY missed my point. In the future I will try to be less confusing with my advice. Or I'll go back to keeping my mouth shut; that usually works out better for me.

Good luck.

 

[Salt USMC]

0699,
I've definitely found that to be true too...especially in the reserve component. That's the exact reason I'm in the MOS that I'm in, because it's the only one offered here in Phoenix, AZ. However, I'm definitely willing to travel every month in order to do an job that I will love and will commit to. Now it's just a matter of finding it. I know I want to do the CI/HUMINT job, I'm just curious as to how they're placed throughout the Marine Corps and Army and how they work with/in the special operations capable units.

Check to see if any of the subordinate units of Intel Support BN are near you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_Support_Battalion

They're your best bet for finding an 0211 job in the reserves.

 

[EverSoLost]

I wish a 35m would admit what they really do: nothing high speed and clandestine.

I'm not MOS bashing here but the Cloak & Dagger it is not.

Clerical duties, mixed with alot of high speed chest thumping?

The only time my "MI" experience came into play was with handling Class or assisting the "B" Team Fox, with IO or Clerances (So really not at all). But I was an AGR so my gig was really just general "Readiness" for the M-Day types. Although I did get to do a JCET and go to gryhpon group both were awesome! (All assigned to the ODB)

When I did hold a 35M "billet" I listened to the part timers tell "James Borne" stories about their capabilities mostly and didnt see anything "Cool" mostly just a bunch of dissapointed guys or linguists who just wanted to be linguists. Everyones mileage varies I imagine.

I think the 35 F/N/S types are really doing pretty cool work though that can have a great effect.

 

[EverSoLost]

I should add my experience is very limited so my observations may not apply to all Reserve/NG Units. I'm not saying "How it is", I'm just saying thats how I "saw" it; or alot of reading, briefing and typing really.

 

[Marauder06]

A lot of what you're going to be doing depends on the unit. When I was in Group, the MI guys other than the SOT-As got to do very little. Almost nothing in fact, at the Group level (down at the battalions it was a bit different). In subsequent SOF units to which I was assigned, things were a lot different. If you have a commander who understands intel, and if you're in a unit in which intel from intel types is appreciated, AND you demonstrate competence, you can get into some very, very interesting stuff as an intel guy. But that's a lot of "ifs"...

 

[Short Round]

In an effort to avoid opening another thread on a topic very much the same as this I'd like to toss a question out there to anyone with CI/HUMINT experience .

What should my expectations be going from the infantry (6 1/2 years as 0331/0352) to 0211. My hopes are that I'll get to deploy more often and do something different. My fear is that I'll be stateside behind a desk making powerpoints for the flagpole.
I'm at a point where I can either stay on with my SDA and go back to a victor unit or complete my lat move. I just don't want to be sitting behind a desk in four years wondering why I'm so bored.

 

[1Rex1]

Dude sounds like you should just go the SF route, and say f*ck it.

 

[AWP]

1Rex1, please provide an Introduction in the correct subforum before posting again.

 

[1Rex1]

Sorry about that, it's done.

 

[AWP]

No worries, drive on.

 

[Sampaguita]

Something I learned a long time ago...

You either find the job you love and move whereever that job takes you, or you decide where you want to live and take the job that is available there. Very rarely can you have your cake and eat it too.

Can't say it any clearer than that!

 

[surgicalcric]

I wish a 35m would admit what they really do: nothing high speed and clandestine.

I'm not MOS bashing here but the Cloak & Dagger it is not.

Well said Bro...well said.

 

[surgicalcric]

Jrod:

As others have said, you cant have your cake and eat it too.

You need to decide whether you are a fit for SOF/SF by reading the mission profiles of each unit, learning about the kind of guys each is looking for, and doing some serious introspection. Each SOF unit has unique missions with some overlap. If you are looking to be a "doorkicker" please stay away from the SF Regiment - we have far too many guys who believe they only need to speak 5.56mm and 7.62mm for the good of the mission and the Regiment.

There are no CI slots on an SF ODA; we dont need them. We also dont take HUMINT guys along on targets as a general rule. More traditional HUMINT type duties and training, which for an SF ODA is a bit different than it is in the conventional military, may be offered to a soldier after he figures out the ins and outs of his job on a team or as they become available; this may take a year or two for some. The additional duties (HUMINT, Sniper, DMT, Dive Sup, Jumpmaster, etc) are just that, additional duties. Strict HUMINT guys are at the SF BN and Group levels.

However must want to be SF first (this principle would be the same for MARSOC, SEALs, Ranger Reg, PJ/CCT, etc). You must have what it takes to get selected and make it through the SFQC then you must continue to be a solid performer to stay on a team. You have quite a few close targets to worry about before you start worrying about additional duties - the famous 25m target.

NG SF is just as much a commitment as AD SF in many aspects requiring a much greater dedication than the weekend warriors of conventional NG units.

To echo what I said earlier, you would do well to do a lot of reading and an equal amount of introspection in deciding what to do.

Crip

 

[Teufel]

In an effort to avoid opening another thread on a topic very much the same as this I'd like to toss a question out there to anyone with CI/HUMINT experience .

What should my expectations be going from the infantry (6 1/2 years as 0331/0352) to 0211. My hopes are that I'll get to deploy more often and do something different. My fear is that I'll be stateside behind a desk making powerpoints for the flagpole.
I'm at a point where I can either stay on with my SDA and go back to a victor unit or complete my lat move. I just don't want to be sitting behind a desk in four years wondering why I'm so bored.

I'm not a HUMINT guy but I am an intel guy who was retread from the infantry community myself. HET dudes deploy a lot. They certainly don't push desks too often. Not to be sexist but the women in that community find themselves taking up the desk jobs because the bulk of deploying HUMINT assignments in the Marine Corps are with infantry battalions. There are a ton of opportunities with MARSOC as well. The Army tends to train SF dudes to be HUMINTers, the Marine Corps trains HUMINTers to keep up with MARSOCers. Not saying which is better but that's the way I understand things have broken down between the services. That creates more special operations opportunities for our HUMINTers and less for the Army HUMINTers.

 

[8654Maine]

Allow me a reality check here: your ground rule for staying reserve/NG is that you're a single dad.

Regarding your high speed aspirations that you have, what is your primary goal?

Experienced folks here have already stated that, generally, you can't be both, intel and a door kicker (very few Jason Bournes around)

But that also works w/ being a parent and in the military: it would be very difficult to be an effective single dad (I'm assuming full custody) and be high speed (due to deployment and training commitments). Anyone who has a different experience, please chime in.

Which is more important to you?

 

[BravoOne]

"The Army tends to train SF dudes to be HUMINTers, the Marine Corps trains HUMINTers to keep up with MARSOCers".

I concur with Teufel. Marine HET personnel do more HSLD stuff than our 35M or Ls do straight out of the schoolhouse.

An important fact to realize is that all the Marine CI/HUMINT guys are TACTICAL. Soldiers do Strategic AND Tactical depending on needs of the Army. Meaning a Soldier right out of the schoolhouse COULD be in a suit and tie at a Resident/Field Office of the 902nd (or other agency) doing investigations and CI/CE operations OR he could be thrown into a tactical assignment and ride around in a Stryker. From what I have heard rarely will a Marine 0211 get an assignment to NCIS or something along those lines. Another clue to the TACTICAL nature of the 0211's work is their pipeline is much different than ours. The males go to Army Airborne School pretty much automatically (from the 0211s that Ive met) and SERE is required (or at least it was for him and his battlebuddies he didnt specify), a good bit seem to get dive school afterwards (if they can pass the diving requirements). From what he told me any school the males wanted was available. I also know that he went to an evasive driving course. He had disparaging things to say about Female 0211s. Something about they werent "asked" to do much and never went out of the wire. Im not sure about Female Marines but the 0211s that I have bumped into wind up with gold wings. In the Army, unless a 35L/M is going to be assigned to an Airborne unit BAC is not automatic at all nor is SERE and definitely not dive. Close friend of mine left the 0211 world and came over to the Army. He has the gold wings and the silver bubble and he has worked with "Radio Recon" and Force Recon on numerous occasions. He was never bored but they deployed "all the time". He came over to us before MARSOC was around (if I recall correctly). I have never asked what he was doing with Radio Recon or Force... I dont really need to. I know what Marine Recon does and what tactical CI does and have to figure that if they wanted and PAID for him to go to the schools they needed to "Get to work" whatever he was doing once he got there was a combination of the two (but of course the CI/HUMIT work was his cross to bear). When he was considering coming to the Army his resume made him a highly desirable candidate for "Great Skills" and some SMU that we did not discuss but they only take AD folks. Anyway... Id say he was pretty happy with his life as an 0211 and life changes are (as far as I can tell) the only reason he came into the Army Reserves as a 35L30.

From the discussions that I had with him Reserve 0211 slots werent nearly as available as 35L slots. Also I think he came over not just for the different lifestyle but he wants to drop a Warrant Packet (Army CI is hurting really bad for 351L)

 

[Short Round]

BravoOne and Teufel, honestly thanks for the insight. I have truly been on the fence about this switch and my command has been trying to sway me in the opposite direction by telling me I'll be shoved in a closet somewhere evaluating paper shredder effectiveness.
It's nice to hear an unbiased opinion on the matter.