Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 1/31/2008

Question
My daughter is currently going to college in international relations and political science at Missouri State. She would like to go into Naval intelligence as an officer, not enlisted.  Can you please tell me what her options are as she is getting conflicting information and pushed by the recruiter to go enlisted.

Answer
Dear Sheena --

Of course your daughter is being pushed by a recruiter to go enlisted.  That recruiter would get huge kudos for recruiting a top quality candidate to the enlisted ranks.  Unfortunately, that may not be in the best interest of your daughter.

Your daughter can join Navy ROTC as a non-scholarship candidate while she is in college.  When she graduates, she would be commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy.  This path would require her to compete with other ROTC graduates for a billet in Naval intelligence, so she might not be an intelligence officer immediately.

She could wait until near graduation, and apply for a deferred entry program enlistment for a date after graduation.  She would ask for officer candidate training (OCT) in writing on her enlistment paperwork so she would go to OCT immediately after basic training.  She could also ask for naval intelligence as her job specialty, and get that in writing in her enlistment paperwork.  Then after graduation from OCT she would go to her officer training in intelligence.  The catch with this option is that if she does not do very well in basic training, and graduate from OCT, she will still have to serve her enlistment obligation as a Sailor, not an Officer.  She should be certain she can accept this before she takes this route.

She can wait until near graduation and apply for a direct commission into the Navy.  This is exceedingly difficult (and most unlikely) for a non-professional (doctor, lawyer, nurse) to get.  I do not recommend this path, unless the Navy is actively recruiting for her skills and specifying service as a Naval intelligence officer.

There are a couple other options that involve joining the Navy reserves during college.  Please write back, if you would like to hear more about those options, or want to discuss any other options in more detail.

Best of luck to both of you.