Reserve INT

[bluenose_boy]

Hey, johnny_boy,

Congrats on passing the BMQ, and it's good to talk to a fellow Nova Scotian (I've been stuck on the prairies for 10 years now). Anyway, I'm in the middle of applying for Infantry Officer in the reserves here in good ol' Winnipeg. I have been interested in Intelligence since the get-go, but I thought you had to re-muster from another trade. Since you likely won't know the specifics of 38th Brigade's recruiting needs, my question is, do you have to jump through any other hoops in the application process, like secret clearance (or whatever the next step is called.) I am just waiting on my PT, and if there isn't any additional stuff to do (my enhanced clearance apparently came back OK), I might try and get on as an IO with 5th platoon here. (If they even take civvies directly as officers -- I'm not sure).

Thanks,

 

[johnny_boy]

As for any other hoops specific to Int, all I am aware of is the security level which you need to get in order to look at Top Secret material. It's something that's unique to Int as far as I know. However I have not yet started filling those forms outs and from what I understand you begin that process on your QL3. But yeah, for Int Reserve at least, you can join as a civvie. In fact, 3 Int Coy had the FIRST direct entry officers in an    Int unit in Canada from what one of the Captains said - two females joined as 2nd  Lieutenants (both civvies from the street, now officers in the Intelligence)... Which I find odd personally, especially as how they were promoted from Officer Cadet to 2Lt before BMQ? Makes no sense to me but it happened.

 

[Meridian]

Insofar as TS clearance, if you are younger, it is often much easier to get. When I joined, we all had to hand in our security clearance forms, and pretty much all the naval ocdts had to get TS... and it took them about a month more than all of us to get TS over Secret.

Its much easier if either parents have gotten a clearance before, and much easier still if your family has been in Canada for a lengthy time and you haven't moved a lot.

Otherwise it takes that much longer as CSIS hunts down details about you.

 

[Korus]

Which I find odd personally, especially as how they were promoted from Officer Cadet to 2Lt before BMQ? Makes no sense to me but it happened.

You can go by the 'Direct Entry Officer' entry program to the reserves, so if you have a degree you bypass the OCdt phase. I think it's ridiculous, especially for the INT trade.

 

[Meridian]

Its why they say that military intelligence is an ox....



*ducks and runs*

 

[Korus]

Wow.. I've never heard that one before   

It's not just a reserve INT thing. Other trades do DEO too.

 

[aesop081]

As for any other hoops specific to Int, all I am aware of is the security level which you need to get in order to look at Top Secret material. It's something that's unique to Int as far as I know.

And where did you get that information from ??  My trade needs level 3..............so do alot of navy trades .........

 

[FredDaHead]

Its much easier if either parents have gotten a clearance before, and much easier still if your family has been in Canada for a lengthy time and you haven't moved a lot.

Does it matter WHEN your parents held a clearance? My dad had Top Secret at least but he left in the 80's, and my mom was in the army for a short while also (though I have no clue if she had a "higher" clearance than whatever basic pers get), but she also left in the early 80's. And does the rest of your family matter? My uncle retired a few years ago from a long career in the Army (he was in the CAR for a while, and from what I heard he deployed to a lot of places over his career), and I have a cousin who's presently in the army as well.

And can you define "not moving a lot"? Do you mean living in the same apartment for a long time, or generally staying in the same area/province?

 

[Meridian]

Well this is using plain logic here.. Any security clearance and/or background check is going to be a lot easier if a) the information has already been at least partially and reliably researchced (ie a previous clearance) and b) there isnt a lot of variation to track down.

But again, I have no idea what the clearance reqs are for INT.

 

[johnny_boy]

And where did you get that information from ??  My trade needs level 3..............so do alot of navy trades .........

I dunno, I just remember one of the Captains saying we have a level that most other trades wouldn't get. I don't recall exactly what clearance he said but he said something to the effect of "Feel special, they don't give this to just anyone."... even though we don't even have the clearance yet.... As I mentioned I just joined so I am still learning everything.

 

[The_Falcon]

There are three Security Clearance levels used by the Canadian Government (four if you want to count Enhanced Reliability) Level 1=Confidential, Level 2=Secret, Level 3=Top Secret.  From what I learned as my short stint as a clerk at an ASU, most of CSS trades in the regs required level 1 at minimum. Combat trades should have minimum level 2 (They told me to upgrade to level 2 so I could go on tour, well I am not going on tour for medical reason and I still haven't heard about the clearance, neither have people who went.)  Field Grade Officers in Combat trades are supposed to have Level 3, as are a lot of people who deal with electronics (LCIS tech, most navy MOCs cause they have to operate all that cool communications equipment), INT and a few others.  Of course reserve world is different, things you should have like permanent ID cards, proper Security Clearance etc. never happen cause you are just a reservist.  Applied for both in Sept, still waiting.

 

[aesop081]

Don't feel bad...i had level 2 already before my remuster and it took a year for my level 3 to come back from CSIS !!!

 

[The_Falcon]

Oh I fully realize I will be waiting quite some time.  Being the son of two Immigrants (One from Ireland Mom, Dad Poland), and the fact that my mother going back to Ireland 4 times in 2003 (family members getting sick and dying), red flagged her when she was waiting to get her Maple leaf card (she is a landed Immigrant, dad is a citizen).  I guess immigration thought she was working for the IRA.  With stuff like that I will probably be a Sgt. before i ever get a security clearance oh well.

 

[bluenose_boy]

Hey, thanks for the info everyone. My apologies to Mileender for hijacking the thread a little bit, but info on INT trades is hard to come by. Also, in regards to the DEO route, they told me I would be entering as a 2Lt if I am eventually accepted as I got my degree a couple of years ago.  Finally that BA in Russian might be worth more than the paper it's printed on!!  :

 

[johnny_boy]

Which Int unit are you joining?

 

[bluenose_boy]

I've been living in Winnipeg for the last 10 years (I still can't believe it), and would looking at 6 Intelligence, 5 platoon, I believe is the correct nomenclature. If they are taking DEOs, that is. Otherwise I'll be straight-up Infantry. I'm originally a South Shore guy, living in both Chester and Bridgewater before I did the stereotypical move to Edmonton for 2 years, then ended up here.

Johnny_boy, did I understand one of your posts correctly that you are in the process of getting security clearance while you are working? And what of the two DEO officers in your unit, did they have any kind of special qualifications that you know of?

 

[johnny_boy]

The DEOs had no special qualification other than posessing a degree. Neither has any real connection to the military and they joined with as much (or less) knowledge about Intelligence as I had.

As for clearance.. I have no idea where I stand. I know I eventually have to end up at level 3 I think. I know I filled out the basic for that everyone does with the recruiter and I believe I may have filled the level 2 form out... I fill out soooo many forms and they all look the same I just loose track. But yes, you can be employeed with Int and not have the proper clearance, just you may be restrcted in what you can do. I'm expecting a year and a bit to get fully Int trained anyways, and will take at least that long, if not longer to get my security clearance... So it really doesnt matter anyway. You can't do Int work without your courses, and you can't do it without your clearance. You can do busy work and go on basic, SQ, QL3 without clearance like I am doing now.

 

[BruceR]

More information here: http://www.2intcoy.org

 

[The_Stu]

In reference to the 3 (or is it 4?) years required in the forces before you can transer to reg force Int. Do those 3/4 years have to be in the reg forces or could time in the reserves count towards that?

 

[Glorified Ape]

In reference to the 3 (or is it 4?) years required in the forces before you can transer to reg force Int. Do those 3/4 years have to be in the reg forces or could time in the reserves count towards that?

A girl on my course this past summer was a reservist promised to reg force int.