Having access to the correct information is absolutely necessary to plan for our national defense. Intelligence specialists, like the Intelligence Analyst, are integral to providing Army personnel with information about enemy forces and potential battle areas. Intelligence specialists use information derived from all intelligence disciplines to determine changes in enemy capabilities, vulnerabilities, and probable courses of action.

The Intelligence Analyst is primarily responsible for supervising, coordinating and participating in the analysis, processing and distribution of strategic and tactical intelligence. Some of your duties as an Intelligence Analyst may include:

• Prepare all-source intelligence products to support the combat commander
• Provide support to the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Synchronization process
• Receive and process incoming reports and messages
• Assist in determining the significance and reliability of incoming information
• Establish and maintain systematic, cross-reference intelligence records and files
• Integrate incoming information with current intelligence holdings and prepare and maintain graphics
• Conduct IPB using information from all sources

Job training for an Intelligence Analyst requires nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 13 weeks of Advanced Individual Training and on-the-job instruction, including practice in intelligence gathering. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

• Critical thinking
• Preparing maps and charts
• Military symbology
• Preparing intelligence reports
• Using computer systems
• Introduction to the Distributed Common Ground System Army (DCGS-A)

Helpful attributes include:

• An interest in reading maps and charts
• An interest in gathering information and studying its meaning
• An ability to organize information
• An ability to think, speak and write clearly

Advanced level Intelligence Analysts supervise and train other Soldiers. As an advanced level Intelligence Analyst, you may be involved in:

• Supervise intelligence surveillance, collection, analysis, processing, and distribution activities at all echelons
• Consider enemy Order of Battle records in the development of collection tasks
• Assess enemy vulnerabilities and probable courses of action
• Assist in the preparation of reports on captured enemy material
• Draft periodic and special intelligence reports, plans and briefings
• Supervise intelligence operations in Corps and Echelons Above Corps (EAC) Analysis and Control Elements (ACE)
• Review, evaluate, prepare and execute deployment, employment, and redeployment plans and orders for intelligence assets
• Supervise activities pertaining to organization and training of tactical and technical operations

The skills you learn as a Intelligence Analyst will help prepare you for a future with federal government agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency or the National Security Agency. The training you receive in collecting, recording, analyzing and distributing tactical and technical intelligence information will prepare you for other fields, such as research or business planning.

• Human Intelligence Collector (35M)
• Psychological Operations Specialist (37F)
• Counterintelligence Agent (35L)
• Imagery Analyst (35G)

Learn more about the relationship between military training and civilian certification requirements.