The Marine Corps needs more intelligence personnel and it’s willing to pay out substantial retention bonuses to get them.
The Corps is lacking Marines in the 0211 Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence military occupational specialty, according to a recently released administrative message.
“Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) has categorized the 0211 MOS as a critical career force skill shortage,” the MARADMIN reads.
“The demand for qualified Marines to lateral move to this MOS will remain high for the foreseeable future,” it added.
The Corps is looking for corporals and sergeants with a GT score of at least 110. Marines can request a waiver if they are within five points of the GT score and staff sergeants will be considered on a case-by-case basis, according to the MARDMIN.
A first term sergeant who re-enlists for 72 months will be eligible for $87,500 as a bonus once they officially earn the 0211 MOS, the MARADMIN said.
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The MOS is tasked with countering hostile intelligence agencies and collecting intelligence from human sources.
Counterintelligence “activities are concerned with identifying and counteracting the threat of friendly forces posed by hostile intelligence organizations, or by persons engaged in espionage, sabotage, subversion or terrorism,” the COOL summary of the MOS reads.
Human intelligence “activities are designed to obtain intelligence information using human beings as both sources and collectors, where the human being is the primary collection instrument,” the summary adds.
Beyond the GT scores and ranks, those who request a lateral move into the MOS “must have first proven themselves as high-quality Marines,” the MARDMIN said.
The Marines must show strong communication skills, “Intellect, flexibility, creativity, and diverse cultural experience,” the MARADMIN adds.
There are currently 150 boat spaces for the 0211 MOS, Yvonne Carlock, a spokeswoman with Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told Marine Corps Times in a Monday phone call.
If approved for the lateral move, the Marines attend Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training, as well as parachute training, in addition to their basic intelligence courses.
Some Marines will also attend the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.
Once training has been completed, Marines may be sent to several unique commands, such as Marine Forces Special Operations Command to work alongside Marine Raiders or the Defense Intelligence Agency, the MARADMIN said.
