Posted on Jan 7, 2019
What Army branch would most beneficial for a future career in the FBI?
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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.
Additional Information: I spent about 12 years of my childhood in China and Taiwan, so I understand and speak Chinese fluently.
Chinese (Mandarin)
FBI
Officer
Special Agent
ROTC
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 11
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Military Intelligence. Specialize in Human Intelligence (35F soon to be 35A2F) or Counter Intelligence.
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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.
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....
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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.
That should tell you a lot about what the FBI actually does.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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SGT Christopher Hayden
1SG John Millan - Right, the security clearance is helpful. But as far as MOS, I don't think it matters too much because they're going to teach you the way they do things regardless. A friend of mine is a Special Agent now and did around a decade as an 11B.
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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.
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