- I'm Corporal Claire Welton from Halifax, Nova Scotia,
a Signals Intelligence Specialist
currently posted to CFS Leitrim in Ottawa, Ontario.
- If you like to stay in the know about world events
and emerging communications technologies,
and have a knack for foreign languages,
then becoming a Signals Intelligence Specialist might be the right choice for you!
- I can't tell you too much about my job,
because it's top secret,
but a lot of it is analyzing, processing,
and disseminating indications and warnings to the command team
so we can enable operations overseas and at home.
- Signals Intelligence Specialists use some of the world's most sophisticated equipment
to intercept and analyze foreign electronic transmissions and computer data.
They are cleared to the highest levels of national security,
and to Canadian Armed Forces commanders,
they are like an additional layer of protection.
(Welton): We're the ones that give the information out to these commanders
so they're able to make their moves overseas.
They're able to see the battlefield from an electronic perspective.
One day I could be working on time-sensitive reports
that I'll have to give to the commander.
Or I could be briefing generals on upcoming missions and battles.
- Electronic Warfare operators within the Sig Int
trade also operate cutting-edge communications technologies.
But their office is in the back of an armoured vehicle
or out on the ground with a light electronic warfare kit
that they carry in a rucksack.
They're able to intercept any type of communication in the battlespace,
hone in on the direction they're coming from,
and provide that intelligence to commanders about the potential threats to their safety.
In addition to supporting the Army,
Sig Int specialists may also have the opportunity to deploy with the Royal Canadian Navy
and with the Royal Canadian Air Force,
providing signals intelligence support on exercises and operations abroad.
The introduction of a new Remotely Piloted Aircraft System to the Forces
will have Sig Int Specialists directly controlling sensors aboard the aircraft
to provide Indications and Warnings to Commanders and decision-makers
to protect Canadians on the ground.
Foreign language skills are a huge asset to a Signals Intelligence Specialist.
If you speak, read or write a language other than French or English,
or if you have a gift for languages and you're eager to learn a new one,
then this would be a particularly good trade for you.
- I would say the coolest part of my job
is the different teams I get to work with.
It's not just one piece of Signals Intelligence that makes the picture.
You have many different departments working together,
and when we all come and we solve the mystery together, it's like a big win.
While overseas in Romania,
it's amazing to think that I had a job that would allow me to go out
and get to experience the culture.
I got to swim in the Black Sea, which is amazing.
I couldn't believe I was in the Black Sea.
- On completion of their basic military and occupation training,
new Signals Intelligence Specialists are posted
to either Canadian Forces Station Leitrim in Ottawa,
or to 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment in Kingston, Ontario.
At Leitrim, Sig Int specialists
work with extremely sensitive classified information
in a high-security restricted access facility.
- Zero, this is five-one Charlie...
- Specialists posted to Kingston provide tactical electronic warfare support
to Canadian Armed Forces units deployed on international operations.
Wherever they start out, as their career progresses,
the opportunities for postings and developments increase,
including the possibility of outside-Canada positions in a number of U.S. locations,
as well as postings in the United Kingdom and Australia.
- This trade is intriguing because we have a variety of specialties,
whether it's electronics intelligence, signals analysis or even linguistics.
You can find a niche for yourself.
There is no formal education that could prepare you for this trade.
You can't go to a high school career fair.
You can't study this in university.
It's the kind of trade where you've just
got to go for it and join, and just see what's out there.
It's gone great for me.
I've learned things I never thought I could learn.
I work in a diverse team environment,
and I've had the opportunity to deploy overseas to Romania
and get to see Signals Intelligence Specialists on the ground in what we do.