Posted on May 13, 2016
I have been interested in CID and civil affairs for a while. Any thoughts or advice for me?
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Posted in these groups: 
CID Special Agent
38B: Civil Affairs Specialist
CID Special Agent 38B: Civil Affairs Specialist
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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What specific questions do you have? I have been doing the job for a decade now and it is, in my opinion, one of the best jobs in the Army.
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SPC (Join to see)
I'd like to know about joining, I'd love to be an officer but I want something fulfilling. What's the path to becoming a Cid warrant officer
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CW3 (Join to see)
The first step would be to check http://www.cid.army.mil for the minimum requirements to join as an enlisted agent. Normally CID only recruits its warrant officers from the enlisted agents serving in the field, but now and then there are special programs where some MPs are accepted directly to become CID warrant officers if they have meet some specific criteria. I believe as of today, you can become a warrant officer as soon as you have completed two years as an enlisted agent and meet a few additional requirements to those to become an enlisted agent. The most difficult requirement is to have a Bachelor’s Degree.
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
Official website of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
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SPC (Join to see)
that's very interesting, I have a bachelor's degree already so I may look into that some more.
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Cival affairs will be going through some big changes in the next few Years, Big Army is already talking about getting rid of one of the AD CA BDE's. The Army went from generating CA Troops to "We have to many" The usual cyclic action in the military. I recommend looking up CA Missions and units to see what you want and what you need to accomplish to be qualified and also keep in mind that with shrinking slots comes more competition.
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MSG (Join to see)
are you active or reserves, if the ad army removes a bn the it will go back to 98% reserves for ca, but reserve ca is looking for senior enlisted
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MAJ(P) (Join to see)
1SG Dennis Hicks is right. There is more competition now, but don't let it discourage you from trying. "Iron sharpens Iron" as they say. Trying, even while failing makes, you a better and more well rounded Soldier. If your interested, go for it.
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First of all review the Mos descriptions of each. Then check the pre-requisites. Finally, try to gind someone in both fields and talk with them about their experiences and thoughts. Both are exciting career fields, it just depends on where your interest and background lies.
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CA is a great job if you can make the cut. The career field is selective and it takes skills and a personality that not everyone has. That being said, I imagine they are very similar skills necessary to being a CID agent though there might be some where the two jobs diverge.
When I was a CA Team Leader, I expected my CA NCO to be a true self starter, adaptable, analytical, and able to operate alone with minimum guidance. Those are on top of the normal qualities expected from a Soldier, such as being a team player, a high level of physical fitness, etc. Any team level job in CA has the potential to be extremely challenging yet rewarding. We get to go places and have experiences that few other Soldiers will ever have the chance to do.
If you think you might fit the bill, apply to go to Civil Affairs Assessment and Selection. It really doesn't hurt to try. Don't self-select out, let the cadre decide. If you make it, you stand a great chance of having a rewarding career. If you don't make it, you can try something else. No one is going to look down on you. Good luck!
When I was a CA Team Leader, I expected my CA NCO to be a true self starter, adaptable, analytical, and able to operate alone with minimum guidance. Those are on top of the normal qualities expected from a Soldier, such as being a team player, a high level of physical fitness, etc. Any team level job in CA has the potential to be extremely challenging yet rewarding. We get to go places and have experiences that few other Soldiers will ever have the chance to do.
If you think you might fit the bill, apply to go to Civil Affairs Assessment and Selection. It really doesn't hurt to try. Don't self-select out, let the cadre decide. If you make it, you stand a great chance of having a rewarding career. If you don't make it, you can try something else. No one is going to look down on you. Good luck!
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SPC (Join to see)
the reason being, I have a political science degree, so it is the closest to my degree field. I would like to go in as an officer, but I know the lowest in CA is the captain level from what I've heard
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MAJ(P) (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) You do have to be a 1LT (P) to go to CAAS on the "O" side. If you are going to make the transition, it is a great career field to consider after you've had some experience as an officer.
A note on degrees. No degree really lends itself to being a successful CA Soldier. Academic degrees are just value added. There are attributes and skills you must possess that no degree will give you. I've seen highly educated Soldiers struggle in CA training. At the team level, whether NCO or Officer, you've got to be able to hold conversations and build relationships with everyone from the poorest in the world to the most privileged. You have to be a great team contributor, while still possessing the ability to work and produce results by yourself when necessary. You've got to be able to deal with lots of ambiguity, making impactful decisions with limited knowledge and guidance. I'm not saying this to degrade academic degrees. I'm just saying that while it may help make you a better CA Soldier, it is not sufficient to be a CA Soldier. I hope this helps. Again, never hurts to try out and see if it is for you.
A note on degrees. No degree really lends itself to being a successful CA Soldier. Academic degrees are just value added. There are attributes and skills you must possess that no degree will give you. I've seen highly educated Soldiers struggle in CA training. At the team level, whether NCO or Officer, you've got to be able to hold conversations and build relationships with everyone from the poorest in the world to the most privileged. You have to be a great team contributor, while still possessing the ability to work and produce results by yourself when necessary. You've got to be able to deal with lots of ambiguity, making impactful decisions with limited knowledge and guidance. I'm not saying this to degrade academic degrees. I'm just saying that while it may help make you a better CA Soldier, it is not sufficient to be a CA Soldier. I hope this helps. Again, never hurts to try out and see if it is for you.
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I was in CID for 17 years of my 20 and I would not have made it to retirement had I not changed MOSs and then went Warrant. I spent a lot of time away from the family with duty agent requirements, mission TDYs, schools and unaccompanied assignments. I was a Cold War soldier so I wasn’t involved with deployments. Had I not been down for orders to Scotland Yard and a short tour assignment to Korea, I most likely would have deployed to either Panama or the Gulf War. A career with CID will give you training, experience and knowledge in a lot of areas that will not be offered (hostage negotiations, protective services, FBI National Academy, forensics, sex-based crimes courses, fire investigators.
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I would recommend CA. I spent 15 of my 30 years there. I loved it. I have never worked in CID, but my only 2 "data points" were not very complementary.
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