Army MOS · Combat & Infantry
Current service use not established
This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.
A Special Forces officer commands or serves on the staff of Special Forces units as a commander, advisor, plans and operations officer, exchange officer, or instructor. The officer studies potential operational areas, develops foreign language and communication skills, and plans, controls, and executes foreign internal defense, strike operations, strategic reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and related special operations.
Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.
Operational-area studies covering foreign armed forces, political structures, geography, and history directly support DIA's military-capabilities analysis specialty.
How to prepare: Prepare an unclassified assessment of a foreign military capability to practice for DIA's writing test and interview. DIA requires U.S. citizenship, security clearance approval, background screening, drug testing, and any required medical or counterintelligence polygraph examinations.
Operational-area studies and special operations planning provide a foundation for evaluating physical threats and developing security countermeasures.
How to prepare: Build a sample civilian facility threat assessment that identifies vulnerabilities and recommends countermeasures, using it to identify gaps in physical security knowledge.
Choose credentials for your target role. COOL funding markers describe program listings, not a guarantee of eligibility or funding.
Associate Protection Professional (APP)
Develop a civilian security foundation in business operations, risk management, and response management.
Eligibility and preparation: At least one year of compensated security experience, or six months with an approved related certification; applicants must have held full-time security-related employment, though current employment is not required.
For: Security Management Specialists
Physical Security Professional (PSP) · Funded
Support progression into physical security assessment and countermeasure work after building qualifying experience.
Eligibility and preparation: Requires five years of physical security experience without a higher education degree, reduced to four with APP; an accredited bachelor's degree or international equivalent plus four years, reduced to three with APP; or an accredited master's degree or international equivalent plus three years. Experience must involve personal engagement in security or loss prevention full time or as a primary duty.
For: Security Management Specialists
[1] data/authority/army-codes.json entry 18A (OSD COOL feed, fetched 2026-07-25); DB rank officer, authority codeType officer
Supports: Regional political and military area studies, Foreign internal defense and reconnaissance planning, Foreign-language engagement with military and civilians, DIA Analysis Officer, Security Management Specialists (O*NET 13-1199.07)
[2] Career Specifics, Military Capabilities, Applying to Be an Analyst; public page retrieved through Jina Reader 2026-09-23
Supports: DIA Analysis Officer
[3] Opening hiring overview and Employment Criteria, Initial Employment; public page retrieved through Jina Reader 2026-09-23
Supports: DIA Analysis Officer
[4] O*NET 30.3 occupational data
Supports: Security Management Specialists (O*NET 13-1199.07)
[5] 18A cached COOL credential feed
Supports: Associate Protection Professional (APP)
[6] Page 10, APP Board Certification in Security Fundamentals; page 8, eligibility requirements and preparation recommendation (separate passages)
Supports: Associate Protection Professional (APP)
[8] Page 30, PSP Eligibility Requirements; page 8, experience definition
Supports: Physical Security Professional (PSP)
[7] 18A cached COOL credential feed
Supports: Physical Security Professional (PSP)
Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.
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