AFSC 14NX - Intelligence Officer

Air Force Intelligence Officers are commissioned officers who coordinate intelligence activities such as Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Human Intelligence (HumINT), Numbered Air Force (NAF), Combatant Command (COCOM) and other operational units. Obviously, a Top Secret clearance is required with Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) to apply for special compartmentalized information as they will often work in conjunction the CIA, DIA and with intelligence agencies in other branches of the military.

Summary - What does an Intel Officer do?

• Performs and manages intelligence functions and activities to support the United States and allied forces.
• Conducts information operations to include analysis of information vulnerability. Included are intelligence operations and applications activities; collecting, exploiting, producing, and disseminating foreign military threat information; mapping, charting, and geodetic (MC & G) data application; developing intelligence policies and plans; and human, signals, imagery, and measurement and signature types of intelligence.
• Provides staff supervision and technical advice.
• Plans and coordinates use of intelligence resources, programming, and budgeting.
• Supports force employment planning, execution, and combat assessment.
• Advises commanders, government officials, and other users of intelligence information essential to military planning and aerospace operations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs and manages intelligence operations and applications activities.
• Programs, plans, and evaluates operations and applications resources and activities.
• Establishes priorities. Conducts and manages collection functions.
• Oversees collection and exploitation activities of all sources of intelligence information. Manages production, processing, and dissemination of products.
• Develops, validates, and prioritizes targeting and MC & G activities and procedures.
• Plans and implements aircrew training.
• Determines unit requirements and tailors intelligence support to missions, equipment, and employment tactics.
• Establishes, recommends, and disseminates information and intelligence collection requirements.
• Supports combat operations.
• Performs and oversees analysis and fusion of collected intelligence, and produces assessments to meet operational requirements.
• Analyzes data to advise planners of options to accomplish objectives.
• Helps develop weaponeering methodologies.
• Evaluates mission accomplishment to determine remaining adversary capability and requirements for retargeting.
• Coordinates intelligence estimates and analytical activities.
• Assists in operational employment planning.
• Recommends weapons allocation and application.
• Coordinates inputs to intelligence operations plans and orders.
• Advises commanders on threat systems deployment, employment, tactics and capabilities, and vulnerabilities.
• Provides intelligence support and assists in planning and execution of information warfare.
• Exchanges and collects intelligence with other services, agencies, and governments.
• Conducts operations and related activities.
• Manages and integrates collected intelligence information. Integrates intelligence into information operations.
• Performs and directs intelligence briefings and debriefings of repatriates, defectors, émigrés, foreign nationals, and United States personnel.
• Manages collection requirements by validating, prioritizing, and coordinating user requests.
• Ensures operational needs are met through collection system tasking. Supports weapon system acquisition and force structure planning.
• Develops intelligence policies and plans.
• Evaluates impact of legislative action, executive orders, regulations, directives, and management decisions.
• Integrates intelligence activities into plans and programs.
• Develops and implements intelligence operations and applications policies, plans, concepts, systems, and orders, including MC & G and human, signal, imagery, and measurement and signature types of intelligence.

Specialty Qualifications

Knowledge of the means, methods, sources, and techniques used in intelligence operations, applications functions, and doctrine to include: collection, exploitation, production, and dissemination of foreign military threat information derived from human, signals, imagery, and measurement and signature intelligence is required.

Theories, principles, and application of the electromagnetic spectrum and the United States and foreign space systems and operating parameters, applications of intelligence information to support military operations, target materials, analysis, and weaponeering, mission planning, force application, and combat assessment must be learned. More of the following should be part of the daily ongoing education and learning capability of the Intel Officer:

• Information warfare operations, associated countermeasures, threats, and vulnerabilities.
• Survival, evasion, resistance, escape, combat search and rescue, and Code of Conduct techniques and procedures.
• Knowledge of the means, methods, sources, and techniques used in the United States and allied military capabilities, organization, operations, and doctrine; intelligence systems and acquisition management
• Intelligence force management and national intelligence community structure and relationships
• Intelligence oversight, foreign military capability, limitations, and employment techniques.
• Fusion, analysis, processing, and proper handling of intelligence information.
• Analytical methods, forecasting, and estimating techniques, intelligence information handling systems.
• National and DoD regulatory guidance for conducting intelligence activities and management sustaining functions such as intelligence communications and information systems, security, manpower, personnel, and training.

Education. For entry into this specialty, an undergraduate academic specialization or degree is desirable in physical, earth, computer, social, or information sciences; engineering; mathematics; or foreign area studies.

Training. For the award of AFSC 14N3, completion of the Intelligence Officer Course is mandatory.

Where Will You Be Stationed?

• Twenty-Fifth Air Force, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
• 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
• 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Langley Field, Virginia
• 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida
• Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida
• National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
• 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, California
• 55th Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
• 432d Wing, Creech Air Force Base, Nevada
• 102d Intelligence Wing, Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts
• 181st Intelligence Wing, Terre Haute Air National Guard Base, Indiana
• 184th Intelligence Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas

Depending upon where you are stationed will determine the type of intelligence gathering and briefings you will be performing for your command. From flight crews (bombers and fighters) to combat controllers performing as Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), the Intel Officer will be producing intelligence packages for his / her user that will be the most helpful for that mission.