OPERATOR MILITARY INTELLIGENCE

The Job

As an Operator Military Intelligence (OPMI) you will be employed in vital real-time operations, countering threats to national security and projecting government policy abroad. The employment covers a full range of skills in Operational Intelligence (OPINT) and Counter Intelligence (CI). Deployed worldwide in small units or detachments as an OPMI, you will work alongside other Arms, Services and Government departments. Liaison and formal meetings are frequently undertaken with people from a wide range of backgrounds, therefore good inter-personal skills are vital.

The Right Job For Me?

From a very early point in your career you will be given the opportunity to apply for employment in a specialist trade. These specialist fields include Human Intelligence (HUMINT, the acquisition of intelligence from human sources), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT, the interpretation and analysis of imagery from a variety of sources) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT, interception and analysis of various communications). Other specialist roles include IT security, counter sabotage duties, embassy postings, surveillance and employment within the Special Forces domain. All these specialist jobs are dependant upon aptitude and vacancy availability within a full career. It is not uncommon, however, that once an individual has specialised they will voluntarily complete more than one posting in a particular discipline.

What Skills Will I Learn?

Throughout your career you will be given opportunities to specialise in various roles. These will often include long and/or challenging courses which must be successfully completed before a posting or deployment in that particular discipline. All the roles open to the OPMI soldier require the ability to analyse and understand the importance of the smallest detail in determining the big picture. Your career will be rewarding, requiring a high level of selfmotivation, commitment and adaptability.

What Training Will I Do?

Initial trainingEvery Intelligence Corps soldier is first and foremost a fighting soldier. Your military career will start at an Army Training Regiment (ATR). During your basic training course you will learn military skills such as foot drill, how to handle and fire a weapon, how to live and work in the open and how to tackle an assault course, as well as developing your stamina and fitness. You will be stretched further than you thought possible and toughen up both physically and mentally. Having successfully mastered these basic military skills, you will take your place in the Passing Out parade in front of an invited audience of parents, relatives and friends.Further trainingThe first stage of trade training takes place at Templer Training Development Wing (TDW), Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (DISC), Chicksands, Bedfordshire. This covers all aspects of the OPMI trade including clerical training, OPINT, CI and driver training. An introduction to Signals Intelligence, Imagery Intelligence and Human Intelligence is also included. There is a one-week break for adventurous training. Trade training culminates in a four-week military training and leadership management course at the end of which the recruit is promoted to Lance Corporal. There is a formal Passing Out parade to which families are invited.

What Qualifications Could I Get?

An NVQ Level 2 in Admin is awarded after successful completion of Phase 2 training. Opportunities to gain civilian qualifications up to degree level exist in Intelligence and Security Management as well as languages.

Future Prospects

An Operator Military Intelligence will normally be employed in the UK with some overseas postings, mainly on short-term (normally six months) operational deployments. Here you will have the opportunity to consolidate your training and gain valuable experience before attending a course to upgrade your skills. The course will make you eligible for promotion upon recommendation. Promotion to Corporal and Sergeant is based on merit, qualifications gained in the Army and time served. The average time in each rank is three years, and you could normally expect promotion to Corporal at the end of your first tour (at the three-year point). As a natural part of career progression, all Op MIs who promote to Sergeant or above are expected to work in a supervisory capacity, where you will be responsible for the training and welfare of junior soldiers. As a direct entrant (entering the Army as a soldier) you can expect to reach Warrant Officer 2 rank, subject to your performance, and there is a good chance that you could be commissioned on a Late Entry basis. When you come to leave the Army, you will find that the professional experience, Army qualifications and leadership skills you obtained in the Intelligence Corps will make you highly employable in the civilian defence industry or intelligence community.