What Army branch would most beneficial for a future career in the FBI?

1LT Ting-Yu C. — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:14:37 -0500

I am currently in the Ohio National Guard and pursuing a bachelor's degree at a state university. I'm in the ROTC program and plan to commission at graduation. After completing my military contract, I'm interested in applying to the FBI for a special agent position. What Army branches would be most beneficial for a future career in the FBI?

Additional Information: I spent about 12 years of my childhood in China and Taiwan, so I understand and speak Chinese fluently.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 7 at 2019 12:20 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:20:15 -0500

Military Intelligence. Specialize in Human Intelligence (35F soon to be 35A2F) or Counter Intelligence.

Response by LTC Leonard M. Manning, Sr made Jan 7 at 2019 12:23 AM

LTC Leonard M. Manning, Sr — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:23:25 -0500

From my experience I would guess the following 3 would be most beneficial - Military Police, Military Intgelligence, and Judge Advocate General. However, I believe that any military experience is beneficial.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 7 at 2019 12:34 AM

LTC Jason Mackay — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:34:15 -0500

1LT Ting-Yu C. Serving as an FBI Agent is divergent from military service. Unless the FBI has some mentoring advice, you may just want to pursue what interests you. I would say reach out to an FBI recruitment team, but I was underwhelmed with their (lack of) pitch at transition employment events...I don't know, maybe they had a bad day. Another option since this is the road you are looking to travel, consider pursuing a warrant appointment as a CID investigator. There is at least one thread on this here on RP.

Branch decision: https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/how-do-i-choose-an-army-branch-a-framework

A discussion on going commissioned to warrant as a CID Investigator (there are several, I just grabbed one): https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/any-experience-going-from-officer-to-warrant-officer-cid

There is a MILPER message on this, recommend you find it and do some research.

How do I choose an Army Branch?: A Framework | RallyPoint

The purpose of this article is to address one of the biggest Rally Point questions among Army ROTC Cadets: I am a with a major in , which branch should I choose? One of my goals is to help you filter through what you will get back. After all, don’t we all turn to the nameless, faceless internet trolls to determine our future? The immediate challenge is that the people responding are well intentioned but generally don’t know you from Adam....

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 7 at 2019 1:11 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 01:11:39 -0500

Anything you choose will give you a leg up in the FBI as they recruit heavily from the military these days--especially considering your language abilities. Military police would additionally give you some law enforcement experience. I would suggest CID Special Agent, but if you are going regular officer that won't be possible (they are enlisted and warrant officer only but there are options to convert regular MP officer commisions to Warrant Officer CID Special Agent on occasion).

That being said, Military Intelligence (MI) is another good branch as the FBI is both law enforcement and intelligence. It'll get you your TS clearance and a good working knowledge of the intelligence community. Additionally, as a regular MI officer its possible (but a bit harder than enlisted) to become a Counterintelligence Special Agent within MI. I have several enlisted CI agents in my unit who are FBI agents on the civilian side (I'm also National Guard). And I myself completed the FBI hiring process, getting a conditional offer of employment before I got offered a better gig at a different agency recently.

In any case, I'm obvisouly biased, but if you have the ability to reclass to CI agent as enlisted first, you can automatically get a 35E AOC (Counterintelligence Officer) when you become an MI officer (and its easier that route). The FBI view Army CI agents as having a trifecta of law enforcement, intel, and military experience all in one (per my own FBI Applicant Coordinator).

Response by CPT Ray Gilmore made Jan 7 at 2019 1:28 AM

CPT Ray Gilmore — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 01:28:05 -0500

Intel, with a branch detail infantry.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jan 7 at 2019 6:01 AM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 06:01:36 -0500

The military does not have a parallel to the FBI. The government does not have redundancies in Law Enforcement. Seek info regarding MPI, or CID, maybe even legal. Seek info from FBI recruiters and ask what they are looking for. Thank you for your service.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 7 at 2019 7:33 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 07:33:13 -0500

I have known an MP officer to go to the FBI but I think your degree is much more important than your branch. They are always looking for people with clerical skills. Basically the more nerdy the degree the better off you are (finance, accounting, IT, law, and the like)

That should tell you a lot about what the FBI actually does.

Response by MSG Frank Kapaun made Jan 7 at 2019 9:28 AM

MSG Frank Kapaun — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:28:52 -0500

Personally, the FBI has underwhelmed me. I have heard them referred to as the “Fabulous Bunch of Investigators” and “First Bunch of Idiots.” They are composed of accountants and lawyers. With your language skills look into the CIA.

Response by SGT Christopher Hayden made Jan 7 at 2019 10:55 AM

SGT Christopher Hayden — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:55:09 -0500

They'll care more about your degree than what you do in the Army.

Response by Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin made Jan 7 at 2019 1:34 PM

Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 13:34:18 -0500

Cyber would be something I would recommend.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2019 9:52 AM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 09:52:51 -0500

Given my job specialization, I have many friends and acquaintances who have transitioned from Military to FBI. They were all from military intelligence backgrounds (some were purely tactical), and above all else, had the ability to score and maintain the top secret security clearance. From her direct conversations I've had, they are also interested in candidates with military law enforcement backgrounds. Provided you did your job well (and they WILL check), either of these backgrounds, together with the bachelors degree would make you an attractive candidate. The fact that you are fluent in Chinese (assuming you can also read) would also make you a good candidate for the State Department, or other agencies if you have the interest.