Posted on Feb 16, 2020
What advice do you have for someone applying for 35L? What is the day-to-day life like in this MOS?
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Currently looking for more information regarding the day to day as 35L. Any advice for soldier looking into reclassing to counterintelligence?
Thanks in Advance!
Thanks in Advance!
Posted in these groups: 
35L: Counterintelligence (CI) Agent
79S: Career Counselor
Counterintelligence Special Agent Course (CISAC)
35L: Counterintelligence (CI) Agent 79S: Career Counselor Counterintelligence Special Agent Course (CISAC)
Posted 5 y ago
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I have been a 35L for 15 years and there is about 30 different route within the MOS you can go into with varying levels of classification so I wont dive to far into that. However there are three very basic things you can do...
1. Tactical: you wear a uniform everyday, go to ranges, motorpool and frankly do Army stuff and wait to deploy to do tactical CI work. Most folks do this for their first assignment and cut their teeth on Leadership tasks, basic Soldering task, and being able to work in small teams or completely independently with little or no oversight.
2. Strategic: Google "902d Counterintelligence". This is not completely the whole world of strategic CI but they think they are. However these Agents generally wear civilian clothing, conduct investigations and Under CI jurisdiction. You can also be stuck in staff and it's like being in the "s" shops in any BN or BDE. This is also the more murky area as there is alot you can do in the strategic area.
Stratical: Sounds like a George W. Bush word but this is the CI that you do overseas. You do both tactical/force protection CI and the investigative sides of the coin.
In all areas of CI you are still a Soldier and thus you will do all the basic stuff that you are likely doing now such as PT tests, PT at least one or twice a week, SHARP/EO training, ect. However, you will be expected to be a big boy and you will be given the flexibility to do your own thing until you prove you can't handle that. Last week I took a personal day by calling in because my wife was under the weather and really didn't have anything going on but also ob the flip side I was called for a two week TDY with a 4 hour heads up.
1. Tactical: you wear a uniform everyday, go to ranges, motorpool and frankly do Army stuff and wait to deploy to do tactical CI work. Most folks do this for their first assignment and cut their teeth on Leadership tasks, basic Soldering task, and being able to work in small teams or completely independently with little or no oversight.
2. Strategic: Google "902d Counterintelligence". This is not completely the whole world of strategic CI but they think they are. However these Agents generally wear civilian clothing, conduct investigations and Under CI jurisdiction. You can also be stuck in staff and it's like being in the "s" shops in any BN or BDE. This is also the more murky area as there is alot you can do in the strategic area.
Stratical: Sounds like a George W. Bush word but this is the CI that you do overseas. You do both tactical/force protection CI and the investigative sides of the coin.
In all areas of CI you are still a Soldier and thus you will do all the basic stuff that you are likely doing now such as PT tests, PT at least one or twice a week, SHARP/EO training, ect. However, you will be expected to be a big boy and you will be given the flexibility to do your own thing until you prove you can't handle that. Last week I took a personal day by calling in because my wife was under the weather and really didn't have anything going on but also ob the flip side I was called for a two week TDY with a 4 hour heads up.
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SGT S Scott - I don't know where you heard this, but if its correct, it *was not* put out to the force. Nor do I see any update to this MILPER message. In black and white it says SECRET. I am also a CI applicant manager and recently put guys in still pending their interim TS. That being said, I don't doubt that this is what you were told, but I see no official update in writing, which is what matters. If you have something in writing which says this, I would very much like to see it. You can find me on Enterprise global.
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PFC Kay Hardin - Interesting. Again, this is not the information being put out to the field. If OCMI makes changes they need to disseminate it (and get approval considering the last change came from above their level). But thank you, I will now be calling SFC Waite at OCMI tomorrow morning so he can clarify, as the DAG2 (above OCMI) made the change to SECRET upon our recommendation at the CI Deep Dive a year ago. If OCMI got approval to change it back, it was not put out. And, it doesn't matter what ATRRS says, I don't think that was ever updated anyway.
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SGT S Scott - I don't know who MSG Torre is, but there was no change to the policy from the DAG2 office put out, so I think OCMI/CISAC may have done this on their own if true. Regardless, keep doing what you are doing. Bottom line is, you have always needed a final TS/SCI anyway to get the MOS and become a credentialed agent. The change for attendance to CISAC was to fix the problem of waiting for people to get their interim TS before being able to input them for school (which made little sense since 99.9% of what is taught is simply at the secret level). In any case, not your issue, its mine. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
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SGT S Scott - Ah yes I thought the name looked familiar. I don't deal with the branch manager, and they have no say so on the requirements. I deal with OCMI directly.
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