Day in the Life: Intel Officer

This blog has been fortunate to have another spouse lay a solid foundation of information about basic intel structure. 

There will be shift and weekend work. Some fly with crews, some work deep in skifs. They have very high security clearances. They can’t talk about their job. (Honestly, this is kind of great, keeps work and life a bit separated)

The post felt similar to something I feel I would have written at that point in our military journey. That said, after 14 years of being an intel spouse, I feel I can add a more longitudinal viewpoint. Hopefully, in doing so I can shed a touch more light on this mysterious corner of the military and help a spouse prepare for the often-uncertain road ahead.

Will they work normal “base” hours?

It depends!

If they are in a squadron that is “deployed in place”-likely not. That is where lovely shift work and weekend duty really come into play. The mission doesn’t stop, so folks have to be there 24/7. Bonus: they won’t actually deploy. You may get to know the part of the world they are focused on, in which case, following the news will give you a good idea of whether they will make it home at a decent hour!

If they are in a squadron doing things like reconnaissance, the hours will be more standard but they can deploy…a lot. When my spouse was in that type of job, they deployed 3 times in 3 years. 

If they are in a “staff” job (where they do all the work that is not the direct mission, lots of planning, organizational structure, etc), their hours should still be predictable, but the TDY tempo can be fairly high in these jobs, depending on what they are working on. Like I said, it depends. My spouse’s last staff job had virtually no TDYs (it was also COVID, so take that with a grain of salt), while this job has had monthly travel. They also love to tap staffers for deployments, so keep that in mind.

How often will you move?

It depends!

After my spouse’s training assignments, our first 2 assignments were both a predetermined 3 years. But after that, when they begin promoting, things get fairly unpredictable. On the officer side, once they get a line number for Major your timeline is determined by leadership tours (Director of Operations as a Major and Squadron Command as a Lt Col in the Intel world) and school selections (1 year in-person leadership schools at both O4 and O5, if they don’t get selected to go in-person, they have to complete the online version). They get 3 looks for each, and the timing of moves depends on when they can compete and if they get selected. Numerous people, of varied career fields, have their assignments altered (shortened or lengthened) because of this process. This is where you master both going with the flow and the ability to have numerous contingency plans. 

Where can you get stationed?

It depends!

You can be stationed literally anywhere…any base, any branch. We have had Australia on the job list multiple times. The world is, quite literally, your oyster. You don’t have to go OCONUS, but you definitely can if you want. We have PCSd 8 times in almost 14 years and, because of personal reasons, remained CONUS so it is definitely possible in the intel world. That said, the longer the service member is in, the more their options for locations funnel down based on their experience and career track so I recommend capitalizing on unique opportunities early on if you can and they have the appropriate skill set.

Final tidbits 

We have met the salt of the earth during our time in the military among intel airmen and their families. This life, while full of challenges, is truly beautiful. I am so grateful to be walking this path with my spouse and for the diverse world view it has given to my children. I also appreciate the tireless work of the numerous organizations working to break down the barriers to families getting to savor what a remarkable and unique existence being a military family is.

Due to the nature of this milso’s active duty member’s career, no photos or bio can be provided.