Skip to Main Content
Browse Careers
Army Air Force Navy

Intelligence Operator

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time


Apply Now

Overview

As a member of the military, Intelligence Operators collect information from various sources to support operations, planning and decision-making for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Government of Canada.

Intelligence Operators:

  • Collect, process, analyze and disseminate intelligence
  • Identify and analyze intelligence and information from multiple sources, which is likely to affect military operations, national policies and objectives
  • Advise and assist in the coordination of intelligence tools and surveillance systems
  • Provide intelligence briefings and written products to commanders and their staff
  • Operate, manage and safeguard information technology systems
  • Work with and safeguard highly classified material

Work environment

Intelligence Operators work mainly in an office environment at bases and wings across Canada, but they can also work on board ships at sea and in the field in various climates and conditions while participating in national and international operations. As you progress in your career, you may also have the opportunity to be posted internationally.

If you chose a career in the Regular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

Career Overview

Transcript

TITLE:

INTELLIGENCE OPERATOR

I’m Master Corporal Michael Freeman, I’m originally from northern British Columbia – and I’m an Intelligence Operator currently posted to 8 Wing Trenton.

And I’m Master Corporal Sagnik Das, I’m from Calgary, Alberta. I’m an Intelligence Operator posted to NORAD, in Colorado Springs, USA.

DAS: As Intelligence Operators, our job is to anticipate the future in an ever-changing world, where our enemies have the potential to surprise us. It’s all about evaluating risks, identifying threats, and assessing the enemy’s intentions.

DAS: While almost everybody else in the military is concentrated on how we work, how blue forces work, intelligence professionals get to concentrate on the enemy, or the opposition, or the other side – we get to study the red team.

FREEMAN: It’s our responsibility to make sure that our commanders are well informed because just knowing what’s going on, on the ground, in the air or on the seas is not enough. We need to know and understand the operating environment – the weather, the terrain, the enemy, the people and the politics.

FREEMAN: We provide commanders and senior leaders with the information that they require to make decisions. We do research, we provide briefings, we answer questions, we provide various types of graphic intelligence products. Ultimately it all contributes to increasing the effectiveness of the commander’s decision-making by making sure he has the right information to do his job.

FREEMAN: Intelligence factors heavily into the decisions Commanders make. Their decisions frequently place soldiers in harm’s way and the information that you and your team provide will assist commanders to take better-calculated risks. Soldiers are briefed as well.  Before they step out on any mission, they’re given a very good idea of what the picture is on the ground with respect to the threat.  They have that situational awareness: tactics, doctrine, what to expect from that threat, their limitations, their vulnerabilities… everything we can give them.

DAS: If your intelligence allowed people on the ground to complete their mission, to come home safe, to really make a difference – that is when you, as an intelligence professional, really know that you’ve achieved success.

DAS: We’re one of the oldest professions in the world, ever since standing armies have existed – there’s always been somebody who needed to know what the enemy is doing. We take those lessons learned over centuries and get to apply it to modern-day problems.

DAS: Intelligence Operators don’t just follow the news, they wonder about what the causes are, what’s happening behind the scenes and most importantly, what will happen next.  Predicting what will happen next is our bread and butter. You could find yourself conveying information to a very senior audience early in your career.  So you have to be comfortable communicating effectively to experienced officers of senior ranks.

FREEMAN: Intelligence Operators in a way really do punch above their weight, for impact, especially with the rank of the people you’re dealing with. For example, here at 8 Wing Trenton, I brief the Wing commander at least once a week. We brief all the air crews, the aircraft commanders as they’re moving around the world in millions of dollars of equipment. At my last job, I talked to generals.

FREEMAN: With the backing of your training and tradecraft, you’ll gain confidence making judgments based on incomplete, contradictory and time-sensitive information.

DAS: We break down large pieces of information into something that’s understandable and something that’s presentable. Doing that, you actually will come to an understanding yourself as to how the world works.

FREEMAN: Wherever you go as an Intelligence Operator, you’ll do a lot of writing, a lot of thinking and a lot of talking to people about what you know and what you think is going to happen. You have to prove yourself, but when you do prove yourself, you get incredible respect.

FREEMAN: When you complete your training, you’ll likely be posted to a Canadian Armed Forces base, working with the Army, Air Force, Navy, or Special Operations Forces.

FREEMAN: My first posting out of the Intelligence school was to NORAD Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. So right out of the gate, I was dealing with very senior military and political officials, both American and Canadian. It was a large responsibility – it was strategic-level briefs there. And that was my first posting out of the school. So just because you’re new to the trade doesn’t mean you can’t have a big impact very quickly.

FREEMAN: As your career advances, there are opportunities for specialization and promotion in fields like Strategic Analysis, Cyber Operations, Imagery Analysis, Targeting and Human Intelligence.

FREEMAN: You can work on becoming an interrogator, a Hum Int specialist, you can work at embassies around the world. There are all kinds of opportunities, lots of opportunity for travel, lots of opportunity to learn new skill, and lots of opportunity to really make an impact.

FREEMAN: I think a lot of the people that join the military know that it’s not a regular job, you’re almost getting an adventure out of it. And the job changes – every time I’ve had a posting, my job’s been entirely different. You really have a chance to learn a lot of new skill-sets, a lot of new things, and it really doesn’t get boring.

Related Civilian Occupations

  • Intelligence Analyst
  • Imagery Specialist
  • Information Management Specialist
  • Private Investigator
  • Security Consultant
  • Paralegal

Training

The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or Basic Training, held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding.

Learn more about Basic Training here.

Intelligence Operators attend the Canadian Forces School of Military Intelligence, in Kingston, Ontario. Intelligence Operators will be trained in the unique requirements of providing military intelligence to Commanders in sea, land, or air operations.

Intelligence Operators may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and on-the-job training to be employed in a specific intelligence area, including:

  • Strategic Defence Intelligence Analysis
  • Imagery Intelligence
  • Full-Motion Video Analysis
  • Counter Intelligence
  • Human Intelligence
  • Electronic Warfare Intelligence
  • Foreign Language Training

Entry plans

No previous work experience or career related skills are required. CAF recruiters can help you decide if your personal interests and attributes match the criteria for this occupation.

The minimum required education to apply for this occupation is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 11 or Secondary 5 in Quebec and an English or French course at the Grade 11 level or Secondary 5 level in Quebec.

Foreign education may be accepted.

Part time options

This position is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Reserve Force members usually serve part-time at a Reserve Unit within their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. They are paid during their training. They are not posted or required to do a military move. However, they can volunteer to move to another base. They may also volunteer for deployment on a military mission within or outside Canada.

Intelligence Operators may serve with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army or the Royal Canadian Air Force. They provide military intelligence in support of operations, planning and decision making. When employed on a part-time or casual full-time basis they usually serve at CAF unit locations within Canada.

Find a Recruiting Centre

Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. They usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic training, the home unit will arrange for additional training for specialized skills. Intelligence Operators attend the Canadian Forces School of Military Intelligence in Kingston, Ontario to achieve their qualification and may train to work in tactical, operational and strategic analysis, counter intelligence, electronic warfare, psychological operations or one of several other highly specialized fields.

Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home unit for scheduled evenings and weekends, although they may also serve in full-time positions at some units for fixed terms, depending on the type of work that they do. They are paid 92.8% of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.