Posted on Mar 13, 2016
How common are former combat arms personnel, both officer and enlisted, serving in Military Intellegence MOSs?
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This question is directed at those that have served or are serving in the MI branch in some capacity.
I'm currently MI branch detailed to Armor. I noticed a good number of MI branch details in my class alone. IBOLC seems to be the same. I'm just curious how common it is for both officers and enlisted to cross over into MI from a combat arms MOS/CMF.
I'm currently MI branch detailed to Armor. I noticed a good number of MI branch details in my class alone. IBOLC seems to be the same. I'm just curious how common it is for both officers and enlisted to cross over into MI from a combat arms MOS/CMF.
Military Intelligence
Military Intelligence Transition Course
Military Intelligence Captains Career Course (MICCC)
1690: Military Intelligence Unit Commander
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 7
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Many get branch detailed to gain experience in Combat Arms, as I am sure you are aware. Also, many of the combat arms enlisted who go Green to Gold desire to work in MI because they have already served on the ground. MI is a highly desired branch for people who have been on the ground because they understand how many benefits and doors open in the intel field. I know a lot of soldiers from all over special operations and combat arms that have crossed into the Officer world, just to go MI.
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SGT Kyle Johnson
I crossed over from combat arms 12B to MI, as an enlisted. I did not mind combat arms in the early eighties serving overseas, but stateside duty was a joke. In Germany we trained for the mission, and trained hard. Stateside we washed vehicles, marched around and cleaned and polished all day long. Was a canine and equestrian show everyday stateside. After 1 year stateside, I was out! Couple of years break, came back, but knew the deal.. get the right MOS, right job. MI was the ticket.
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SGT Kyle Johnson
Oh, and BTW, the MI loved having an NCO with combat arms experience. It was tons of fun sometimes taking MI guys to the range or map reading. Everyone was super smart so you never really had to yell at them, and they responded to being given all the required info for the task very well.
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Never enough, but, they do stand out. I found it always good to let my supported unit know my former life as a Marine Infantryman and SSgt of Marines. It helped to develop rapport with the leaders of combat arms units. It is easier to also assess real needs vice nice to have recommendations. I was a CI guy in both the Marines and then 14 years Army. Later, I retired as the civilian G2 at US Army CECOM. Varied experience will never hurt.
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This may be wrong, as it's been decades and memory fades, but I thought one of the reason MI LTs were detailed to combat arms branches was that compared to most branches, MI has a relatively small number of LT positions in relation to how many CPT positions they have. So they need to grow LTs into CPTs, but dont really have enough LT positions to do that, so they put some in the combat arms, which have a large number of LT positions. I suspect it's true, because I doubt MI branch would let MI LT positions go vacant while MI LTs were getting assigned to IN and AR units.
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Capt Richard I P.
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS Close enough for correction to be quibbles. 0203 Ground Intel Officers must complete The Basic School (like all Marine Officers). They then Complete Infantry Officers Course (IOC along with all qualified Infantry Officers which I have heard by people who have completed both is best compared to Ranger school in the Army) then they attend Ground Intelligence Officer's Course (GIOC which includes Scout Sniper Platoon Commander's Course -SSPCC).
0203 Ground Intel Officers are qualified as 2ndLts to serve as Scout Sniper Platoon Commanders, Assistant Battalion Intelligence Officers (S2A), line rifle platoon commanders, Recon Battalion Platoon Commanders (rarely) or staff officers at division level.
0203s are rarely 2ndLts in the Operating Forces for long due to their long training pipeline.
0203 Ground Intel Officers are qualified as 2ndLts to serve as Scout Sniper Platoon Commanders, Assistant Battalion Intelligence Officers (S2A), line rifle platoon commanders, Recon Battalion Platoon Commanders (rarely) or staff officers at division level.
0203s are rarely 2ndLts in the Operating Forces for long due to their long training pipeline.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Capt Richard I P. - Like I said, my info is "old" (late 90s) before several of the revamps of the SS program. The last SS Plt commander (also S2A) I had actually went through the SS Div School back when they were 8541s (SMOS) instead of 0317 (PMOS). He showed up as 2ndLt but was promoted to 1stLt within a couple months. We left 3/1 at the same time and he headed over to Recon BN to be a Company Commander (for Command Time).
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LTC Eric Coger
They don't all go to IOBC anymore, lots of other branches, but the rest is true. I am a YG01 MI officer (prior service 11B), and this is still true. One could argue that MI doesn't need any LTs (Warrants could lead the teams, "Platoon" is a strong term for what our MTOEs really look like), and we could be a FA or Special Branch.
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LTC Mark Sereduck
Actually the best assignment for a MI LT is a assistant to a Captain or Major S2 to learn the ropes. My first assignment was an MI Platoon Leader with a Platoon (E-6) Sergeant who taught me to be a platoon.
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