All Source Intelligence Analyst

You are the apprentice All-Source Intelligence Analyst (the current AFSC title — older Airmen will still call it Ops Intel / Intelligence Operations). The TS/SCI is on the badge and zero credibility is on the desk — your job is to close out CDCs, the 5-skill upgrade, and the CI poly reinvestigation without giving the senior NCOIC a reason to know your name.

You came out of the 17th Training Wing schoolhouse at Goodfellow AFB TX — the apprentice all-source course at the joint intel schoolhouse — and reported to a wing intel shop, a Combat Intelligence Squadron attached to a flying wing, a DGS production line in the AF Distributed Common Ground System (DGS-1 Langley, DGS-2 Beale, DGS-3 Osan, DGS-4 Ramstein, and the rest), or a MAJCOM intel staff. You read traffic on JWICS and SIPR, build first-cut threat write-ups against the unit's PIRs (Priority Intelligence Requirements), populate the daily / weekly intel summary the flight or squadron pushes up, run RFIs in and out, draft slide content the section TSgt redraws, and you sit chair-side with the journeyman who is teaching you how the shop actually queries the federated databases. You will spend a real percentage of your week on the unglamorous side — SCIF cleanup, classified destruction logs, two-person integrity courier runs, JWICS/SIPR account paperwork, PKI tokens, badge audits, and the morning brief slide that nobody told you was on you until 0530. You are also burning CDCs for the 5-skill upgrade, riding the CFETP line items the SSgt signs against, and the CI poly reinvestigation window is already on the section chief's calendar.

• 01Read SIGINT, GEOINT, HUMINT, and OSINT product traffic on JWICS and SIPR and write it up as a one-paragraph BLUF the flight chief can put on a slide.
• 02Drive the AF DCGS analyst workstation at the apprentice level — query, plot, annotate, product export — without breaking the database or the audit log.
• 03Apply the JIPOE (Joint Intel Preparation of the Operational Environment, JP 2-01.3) framework at the apprentice scope — populate threat templates and event templates the flight actually puts in the wing intel product.
• 04Run a classified destruction line — cover sheets, two-person integrity, the burn-bag chain — without leaving a single page floating. The SSO inspects on this.
• 05Brief in 30 seconds: who, what, where, when, so-what, source confidence. The squadron intel officer or flight chief stops you if you go longer.
• 06Hold the TS/SCI with CI poly clean — no foreign contact left unreported, no financial issue left un-self-reported, no security incident un-elevated. AR-equivalent rules live in DoDM 5240.01 and the AFI 14-series; your SSO is the one who walks you through them.

• —CFETP 1N0X1 — Career Field Education and Training Plan (the line-item record the SSgt signs off against). Verify the current edition on e-Publishing.
• —Your CDC volumes for the 1N051 upgrade — read them, do not just answer the End-of-Course test. The score follows you.
• —JP 2-0 — Joint Intelligence; JP 2-01.3 — Joint Intel Preparation of the Operational Environment (the JIPOE spine you will live inside the entire career).
• —ICD 203 — Analytic Standards (the IC-level grading standard your products are read against above the wing); ICD 206 — Sourcing Requirements for Disseminated Analytic Products.
• —AFI 1-1 — Air Force Standards; DAFMAN 36-2905 — Department of the Air Force Physical Fitness Program (current scoring tables).
• —EO 12333 — United States Intelligence Activities; DoDM 5240.01 — Procedures Governing the Conduct of DoD Intel Activities Affecting US Persons (your US-persons rules — not optional reading).

• —CDC volumes complete and the End-of-Course exam passed inside the AETC-prescribed timeline — late CDCs are the section chief's first counseling.
• —5-skill level (1N051) upgrade signed on time — CFETP line items closed, SSgt and section chief signatures in place.
• —TS/SCI with CI poly maintained clean. One mishandled SCI document, one un-self-reported foreign contact, one missed CI poly window — your access is pulled that afternoon and the investigation runs months.
• —PT test passing under current DAFMAN 36-2905. The BMI / body composition program is not a place you want to land as an A1C in an AFSC where the section chief writes the EPB.
• —CCAF transcript moving — at minimum the first two AFSC-related courses on the CCAF AAS in Intelligence Studies and Technology are in motion.

• —Taking a cell phone, wearable, or any unauthorized electronic into the SCIF. Even once. The SSO pulls your access that afternoon and the investigation runs months.
• —Briefing a confidence the data does not actually support. "The SIGINT shop says" is not analysis — the flight chief finds out, the SSgt finds out, and you brief nothing of consequence for six months.
• —Sharing a JWICS or SIPR password — even to your own SSgt. Two-person integrity is two people with their own credentials and their own audit trail.
• —Skipping the source citation on a graphic because "everyone knows where it came from." The IG, the SSO, and the next echelon up do not — and the inspection finding is on your name.
• —Posting any sensitive detail — base, AFSC specifics, deployment timing, named operation, SCIF location beyond what is publicly acknowledged — to social media. The OPSEC officer and the SSO are not amused, and the AFI 1-1 violation is on paper.

The good A1C 1N031 is the apprentice the SSgt drops onto overnight traffic at 0530 because the BLUF on the morning slide is right, the citations are clean, and the slide is on the flight chief's desk before the brief. By month nine the CDCs are done and the 5-skill upgrade is signed; by the BTZ window the section chief is making the case for early SrA, and the journeyman who trained you is starting to ask whether you are looking at 1N4X1 (Fusion Analyst) cross-training or staying 1N0X1 long-haul.

You are the journeyman all-source analyst. The 5-skill is signed, you own a target portfolio or a DCGS production-line seat, and your SSgt is starting to write you into the EPB bullets that decide whether you pin SSgt on the first WAPS cycle.

You own a piece of the unit's intel problem — a named area of interest, a threat actor portfolio, a country desk inside a MAJCOM intel staff, a DCGS production-line seat producing for a supported CCMD, or a watch shift in a Combat Intelligence Squadron tied to a flying wing. You build threat assessments, target system analysis, and ISR collection-requirement inputs that the flight chief puts in front of the SqCC or the supported staff. You train the new A1C the same way you got trained six months ago, you sign off CFETP line items at the apprentice level when your SSgt delegates, and you pick up the additional duty stack (training monitor, security manager assist, scheduling, dorm leader, ALS prep). You are also studying for the SSgt WAPS cycle — PFE plus the 1N0X1 SKT — and watching the ALS slate, because ALS in residence is required before you pin SSgt.

• 01Build a threat assessment or target-system product that survives the flight chief and the SqCC challenge — sourcing, confidence, alternative analysis, gaps named, ICD 203 compliant.
• 02Operate AF DCGS at the journeyman level — query federation across enclaves, custom dashboards, link analysis, and the data-quality scrub the WO or senior NCO will catch you on if you skip it.
• 03Run an RFI cycle to a sister-service intel element (NSA detail, DIA, NGA, a supported CCMD J2) — phrase the question so the answer comes back actionable, not a one-line referral.
• 04Brief the flight chief / SqCC / Det OIC in five slides: situation, threat, COA assessment, gaps, recommended PIR adjustments — and defend each line under questioning.
• 05Apply ICD 203 sourcing and confidence discipline — your product survives the next echelon up (MAJCOM A2, supported CCMD J2, 16 AF or NAF-level review) because the analytic line is defensible.
• 06Write a clean self-input for your EPB / Stratification under DAFMAN 36-2406 — the bullets your SSgt copies are the ones you wrote, with measurable results.

• —CFETP 1N0X1 — you sign at the apprentice level when delegated; the 5-skill is current.
• —JP 2-0 — Joint Intelligence; JP 2-01 — Joint and National Intel Support to Military Operations; JP 2-01.3 — JIPOE.
• —ICD 203 — Analytic Standards; ICD 206 — Sourcing Requirements; ICD 208 — Maximizing the Utility of Analytic Products.
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (the current EPB / Stratification system — verify the active revision on e-Publishing).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (WAPS mechanics, sequence numbers, eligibility — verify current revision).
• —AFI 1-1 — Air Force Standards; DAFMAN 36-2905 — current fitness program; AFI 14-series umbrella for AF Intelligence (verify subnumbers on e-Publishing before quoting).

• —5-skill level (1N051) upgrade complete; CFETP at the journeyman level current and audited.
• —ALS slot held and graduated — ALS in residence is the prerequisite for pinning SSgt; do not let the slot pass.
• —PT test passing under current DAFMAN 36-2905. A visible-on-paper score is the floor — the SCIF gets a reputation fast for the analyst who skates on PT.
• —WAPS testing window hit on first attempt — PFE plus the 1N0X1 SKT. Pull the current AFPC promotion message and the SKT study reference list off MyFSS / e-Publishing; do not study off a SrA's flashcards from two cycles ago.
• —CCAF AAS in Intelligence Studies and Technology within striking distance; the BTZ board and the SSgt board both notice.

• —Plagiarizing a higher-echelon product into your slide without source citation. The senior NCO catches it, the supported staff catches it, and the credibility never comes back.
• —Pushing a confidence level the data does not support because the SqCC or the supported O-5 wants it. "Likely" becomes "high confidence" and a planning decision goes the wrong way — and the analytic line is on you.
• —Cross-domain spillage — SCI into a SIPR or NIPR product without proper sanitization or tear-line. One spillage rolls up to AF OSI and the SSO, and the section chief is in the SqCC's office that afternoon.
• —Skipping the EPB / Stratification self-input and letting the SSgt build the report from memory. The bullets you do not write are the ones nobody can defend at the WAPS cycle.
• —Treating WAPS as a 60-day study problem. The 1N0X1 SKT is broad — the journeyman who starts at 90+ days is the one who hits the cut.

The good SrA 1N0X1 is the journeyman the SSgt drops onto the hard target portfolio on Monday because the product comes back clean by Wednesday, sourced, ICD 203 defensible, and ready for the SqCC brief. ALS is done or scheduled, the BTZ case is on the table, the SSgt WAPS attempt is the first one, and the flight chief is starting the conversation about whether the next assignment is a DGS production seat, a CCMD J2 embed, or a NAF-level staff job.

You are the new NCO. ALS is behind you, the stripe is on, and the section chief now expects you to run a shop function and write the EPB / Stratification inputs for the SrAs and Amn underneath you. The first NCO rank in the Air Force is the one where the AFSC stops being a job and starts being a profession.

You run a section inside the unit — a watch shift in a Combat Intel Squadron, a DCGS production line, a target portfolio on a MAJCOM A2 staff, an RFI cell, a flight inside a CCMD J2 embed, or an analytic line inside a NAF-level intel detachment. You supervise 3-5 Airmen, sign CFETP line items at the journeyman level, build the section's training plan, and you are the section's voice at the squadron training meeting and the flight chief's huddle. You write EPB / Stratification inputs that the SrAs read and the section chief defends at the squadron roll-up. You sit at the supported staff's targeting working group, the daily intel sync, or the wing BUB depending on where you are assigned. You are working the 7-skill upgrade (1N071) — heavier CDCs, deeper CFETP — and studying for the TSgt WAPS cycle on top of the day job. The senior analyst voice in the room is still you when the journey is on watch and a hot RFI lands.

• 01Run a 3-5 person shop section through a real-world contingency support cycle or an exercise (RED FLAG, BLUE FLAG, a CCMD J2-led exercise) — INTSUM, threat warning, RFI triage, target nomination support — without losing the products or the audit trail.
• 02Defend the section's analytic line to the SqCC, the supported O-5, or the Det OIC under pressure — say "we do not assess that" when the room wants a different answer, and back it with ICD 203 sourcing.
• 03Write defensible EPB / Stratification inputs under DAFMAN 36-2406 — action / result / impact, measurable, no recycled apprentice-tier filler. The bullets you cannot back with a number are the ones the senior rater quietly downgrades.
• 04Sign off CFETP at the journeyman level and own the audit when the Functional Manager review pulls the records.
• 05Mentor a SrA through their first independent target portfolio or threat assessment — including the "I am not signing this until you fix the sourcing" conversation.
• 06Run RFI dialogue across the IC — NSA detail, DIA, NGA, supported CCMD J2, sister-service tactical intel — and know who answers what, and when not to go around the supported A2 / J2.

• —CFETP 1N0X1 — you sign at the journeyman level; the 7-skill (1N071) upgrade is in motion against the craftsman line items.
• —JP 2-0 — Joint Intelligence; JP 2-01 — Joint and National Intel Support to Military Operations; JP 2-01.3 — JIPOE.
• —ICD 203 — Analytic Standards; ICD 206 — Sourcing Requirements; ICD 208 — Utility of Analytic Products; ICD 503 — IC IT Systems Security Risk Management.
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems (you write EPB / Stratification inputs now — verify current revision on e-Publishing).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (the WAPS / sequence-number / Stratification mechanics you both administer and ride).
• —AFI 14-series — AF Intelligence umbrella; DoDM 5240.01 — DoD Intel Activities Affecting US Persons; AFI 1-1; DAFMAN 36-2905.

• —ALS graduate; 7-skill level (1N071) CDCs in progress against the CFETP timeline.
• —NCOA packet built — required before you pin TSgt; the slot is competitive, do not wait to be told.
• —Section product quality measurable — RFI rework rate, INTSUM accuracy, target-nomination sign-off cycle — and trending the right way under your tenure.
• —PT test passing under DAFMAN 36-2905 with the visible-on-paper score the section watches — your SrAs read your score on the squadron slide.
• —WAPS for TSgt taken inside the window — PFE plus the 1N0X1 SKT prepped honestly. Pull the current AFPC promotion message; check vMPF for your sequence number.

• —Briefing a confidence the SrA under you held that you did not personally check. You signed the product; you own it at the BUB and at the next echelon-up read.
• —Counseling verbally. If the SrA's sourcing-discipline slip is not in writing under the current enlisted force-structure pubs, the senior rater cannot defend you and the section chief cannot help you.
• —Letting an RFI rot. Every RFI not closed inside the timeline is a supported commander making a decision without your input — and the section's reputation up the chain.
• —Skipping the CI / TARP-equivalent reporting line on an indicator of an Airman issue (foreign contact, financial distress, unreported travel). DoDM 5240.01 and the AFI 14-series are not optional; the SSO will find out from someone else.
• —Treating SCIF physical security as the SSO's job. Door propped, badge wrong side out, classified discussion in the hallway — your name comes up in the next inspection out-brief and the SSO is your partner, not your replacement.

The good SSgt 1N0X1 is the section NCO the SqCC names in the slide as "section is solid." The watch runs, the EPBs are written before suspense, the SrAs are studying for WAPS the way their SSgt did, and the 7-skill CDCs are open on the desk between traffic pulls. NCOA packet is in; the TSgt WAPS first attempt is the one that pins the stripe; and the Functional Manager is asking whether the next assignment is a CCMD J2 embed, a DGS production seat, or instructor duty at Goodfellow.

You are the section NCOIC or the flight's senior analytic voice. The SqCC reads your name in the staff slide and the Functional Manager is starting to build the MSgt case quarter by quarter.

You are the NCOIC of an intel cell — a watch floor on a DCGS production line, a target-development cell, an A2 staff section, a CCMD J2 embed cell, a NAF-level analytic line, or a Combat Intel Squadron flight. You run 5-12 Airmen across SrAs, SSgts, and the occasional A1C. You write 2-3 EPB / Stratification reports per cycle that decide whether your SSgts pin TSgt. You sit in the squadron staff meeting as the section's voice, and you defend the section's analytic posture to the SqCC and the supported O-5 at the weekly roll-up. You own the section's quality metrics — RFI satisfaction rate, INTSUM accuracy, target-nomination cycle time, ICD 203 audit pass rate, CFETP currency — and you defend them in front of the Functional Manager review. You are building the SNCOA packet, you are the senior NCO the SqCC asks to run squadron-level training events, and the career-broadening conversations (Goodfellow instructor, recruiter, MTI, AFRC FAM, joint billet at DIA / NSA / NGA / ODNI, CCMD J2 embed) are now on the table.

• 01Own a section's analytic quality dashboard — RFI satisfaction, product retraction rate, ICD 203 audit pass rate, CFETP currency, target-nomination cycle time — and defend it at the squadron weekly without flinching.
• 02Write 2-3 EPB / Stratification reports per cycle under DAFMAN 36-2406 that the senior rater can defend at the squadron roll-up — measurable, unit-impact-driven, your SSgts get selected because the bullets are measurable.
• 03Sign off CFETP at the craftsman level; run the section's training-status review against the timeline; identify the line items the section is bleeding on before the Functional Manager calls.
• 04Run a CCRI / IG-style intel inspection from the inside — ICD 705 SCIF accreditation, ICD 503-aligned IT compliance, DoDM 5240.01 audits, AFI 14-series compliance — and defend the findings.
• 05Mentor the section's WAPS cycle — PFE / SKT for the SrAs going for SSgt, PFE / SKT for the SSgts going for TSgt — using current AFPC promotion message timelines, not last cycle's.
• 06Translate analytic uncertainty to a non-intel SqCC, supported O-5, or wing CC in language the supported staff will repeat without rewording.

• —CFETP 1N0X1 — you sign at the craftsman level and audit the section's line items.
• —JP 2-0; JP 2-01; JP 2-01.3 — JIPOE; the doctrine you teach now, not just consume.
• —ICD 203 / 206 / 208 — Analytic Standards, Sourcing, Utility; ICD 503 — IC IT Risk Management; ICD 705 — SCIF Accreditation.
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Evaluation Systems (verify current revision); DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (the MSgt WAPS mechanics you are now competing inside).
• —AFI 14-series — AF Intelligence (verify subnumbers); DoDM 5240.01 — DoD Intel Activities Affecting US Persons; EO 12333.
• —AFI 1-1; AFI 36-2606 — Reenlistment in the United States Air Force; DAFMAN 36-2905 — fitness.

• —NCOA graduate; SNCOA packet built (resident vs correspondence — verify current eligibility on MyFSS / e-Publishing).
• —7-skill level (1N071) complete; section CFETP currency defensible at the Functional Manager review.
• —Section analytic quality metrics in the top half of the squadron — RFI satisfaction, ICD 203 audit pass rate, product retraction rate.
• —Zero CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent findings attributable to your section during your tenure as NCOIC.
• —MSgt WAPS taken inside the window — PFE only at this level (no SKT for MSgt and above); pull the current AFPC promotion message for the cycle.

• —Hiding an analytic quality metric gap from the SqCC to "fix it before the brief." It surfaces at the supported staff's weekly and TSgts lose section NCOICs over this.
• —Letting your strongest SSgt carry the section's product load because she is good at it. The day she PCSes the section unravels and the next Functional Manager review pulls the thread.
• —Building EPB / Stratification reports without measurable input from the SSgts you rate. The senior rater downgrades quietly and your bench does not pin TSgt.
• —Confusing tactical-wing analysis with strategic-IC analysis. The skills overlap; the standards do not. The CCMD J2, DIA, and NSA read AF products; be honest about which one your section is producing.
• —Going around the SqCC / Det OIC to the wing A2 or MAJCOM. The chief's door closes; the next assignment slate is read out at the Functional Manager review.

The good TSgt 1N0X1 is the section NCOIC the SqCC names in the squadron slide as "section is solid" and the supported O-5 names by name when the wing or NAF asks who runs the cell. The EPBs are defensible, the inspection findings are zero, the WAPS bench is hitting on first attempts, and the SNCOA packet is in motion. The Functional Manager has him on the short list for a MSgt assignment that broadens — instructor at the 17 TRW Goodfellow, recruiter, MTI, AFRC FAM, CCMD J2 embed, or a DIA / NSA / NGA joint billet — before he sits the MSgt cycle.

You are the senior NCO in the section or the flight superintendent. The SqCC reads your name in the staff slide; the Functional Manager at AFPC is building the SMSgt board case quarter by quarter; the supported CCMD J2 or NAF A2 asks for you by name.

You are the section / flight superintendent in a Combat Intel Squadron, a DGS production element, a MAJCOM A2 staff, a CCMD J2 embed cell, a 480th ISR Wing element, or a 16 AF / NAF intel detachment — or you are sitting a Functional Manager / career-broadening billet (Goodfellow instructor at the 17 TRW, AFRC FAM, recruiter, MTI, joint billet at DIA / NSA / NGA / ODNI / a CCMD J2 staff). You run 15-40 Airmen across the SrA / SSgt / TSgt bench, write four-to-five EPB / Stratification reports per cycle that decide the next TSgt slate, and defend the section / flight's analytic posture and CFETP currency at the squadron weekly and the wing A2 / MAJCOM monthly. You sit at the squadron chief's synch as the senior NCO voice. You walk the line during the CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent cycle and identify the broken systems before the inspector does. You mentor at least one TSgt per year toward SNCOA, the SMSgt board, and a career-broadening assignment that builds the SMSgt case. You are also still the senior analytic voice on a hard problem the SqCC or the supported O-6 wants a second opinion on — the moment you stop reading raw traffic is the moment you start guessing.

• 01Run a flight / section superintendent's portfolio in a Combat Intel Squadron, DGS production element, MAJCOM A2, or CCMD J2 embed — analytic readiness, training, EPB / Stratification slate, CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent prep, retention.
• 02Defend the flight's analytic posture at the squadron weekly and the MAJCOM / NAF / CCMD monthly — alongside the SqCC and the supported O-5 / O-6, not behind them.
• 03Mentor a TSgt through SNCOA, the SMSgt board, and a career-broadening assignment (instructor at the 17 TRW Goodfellow, recruiter, MTI, AFRC FAM, joint billet at DIA / NSA / NGA / ODNI, CCMD J2 embed) — and be honest about the cost of each path.
• 04Run a CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent prep cycle for your flight — ICD 705 SCIF accreditation, ICD 503 IT compliance, DoDM 5240.01 audit, AFI 14-series compliance, audit trail integrity.
• 05Translate the AF Intelligence / Sixteenth Air Force / ACC A2 strategy into enlisted-talent decisions at the unit — who goes where, who broadens, who cross-trains to 1N1 / 1N2 / 1N4, who stays line.
• 06Brief the wing CC / NAF / MAJCOM / CCMD J2 on enlisted intel readiness in language that defends at the next echelon up.

• —CFETP 1N0X1 — you audit at the flight superintendent level; the 9-skill (1N091) upgrade case is being built.
• —JP 2-0; JP 2-01; JP 2-01.3 — the joint doctrine you teach and brief from at echelons above the wing.
• —ICD 203 / 206 / 208; ICD 503 — IC IT Risk Management; ICD 705 — SCIF Accreditation (your physical-security and IT compliance plumbing).
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Evaluation Systems (four-to-five EPB / Stratification per cycle; verify current revision).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (SMSgt board mechanics — no WAPS test at this level; the board reads the package and Functional Manager nominations carry weight).
• —AFI 14-series — AF Intelligence; DoDM 5240.01; EO 12333; AFI 1-1; AFI 36-2606 — Reenlistment; DAFMAN 36-2905.

• —SNCOA graduate (resident or correspondence — verify current Senior NCO PME requirements on MyFSS / e-Publishing).
• —CCAF AAS in Intelligence Studies and Technology complete; bachelor's in motion if SMSgt / CMSgt-track.
• —Flight analytic readiness metrics defensible at the squadron weekly and the wing / NAF / MAJCOM monthly review.
• —EPB / Stratification slate producing TSgt selectees at or above the squadron average.
• —Career-broadening assignment completed or scheduled — the SMSgt board reads broadening; the line-only career has a ceiling in the 1N AFSC family.

• —Hiding a CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent finding from the SqCC or the supported O-6 to "fix it before the closeout." It surfaces at the wing brief and MSgt-level flight supers lose the assignment.
• —Letting the senior TSgt run the flight's readiness while you focus on the SMSgt package. The flight IS the package — the SMSgt board reads the unit climate before the bullets.
• —Treating the career-broadening conversation as transactional with your TSgts. The MSgts you mentor are the SMSgt bench for the AFSC over the next decade.
• —Confusing seniority with current analytic relevance. The 1N field moves fast — the SrA briefing today's threat is closer to the truth than the MSgt who has not read raw traffic in three years.
• —Going public with disagreement over a SqCC analytic call or a supported O-6 targeting decision. Take it in the office. Walk out aligned, or push back in writing through the right echelon.

The good MSgt 1N0X1 is the flight superintendent the SqCC and the supported A2 / J2 both name when the wing CC asks who runs intel readiness in the squadron or detachment. Findings are zero, the TSgt bench is pinning on first or second looks, SNCOA is done, the AAS is on the wall, and a career-broadening assignment is either complete or on the slate. The Functional Manager has the SMSgt case half-built two cycles before the board.

You are the squadron superintendent, the DCGS Senior Enlisted Advisor, the AFSC Functional Manager at AFPC, or a NAF / MAJCOM / CCMD-level senior enlisted advisor. The MDG-equivalent of the intel community — the wing CC, the 16 AF / NAF commander, the supported CCMD J2 — names you in the slide, and the Surgeon-General-equivalent for the AFSC (the Functional Manager office at AFPC) reads your name in the policy memos.

As a SMSgt you are the superintendent of a Combat Intel Squadron, a DGS production element, a MAJCOM A2 enlisted line, a CCMD J2 embed cell, or a 480th ISR Wing / 16 AF intel squadron. As a CMSgt you are a group / wing superintendent, the AFSC Functional Manager at AFPC, a NAF / MAJCOM / CCMD-level senior enlisted advisor, or a joint senior enlisted billet at DIA / NSA / NGA / ODNI. You set the standard for the 1N0X1 enlisted workforce — accession from Goodfellow, training, retention, the SMSgt / CMSgt slate, the cross-flow into and out of 1N0 / 1N1 / 1N2 / 1N4, the senior NCO bench for the AFSC over the next decade. You sit in the intel strategy conversation alongside O-5s, O-6s, the wing CC, and the supported CCMD J2. You write SMSgt / CMSgt board endorsements that decide who sits the next CMSgt slate. You walk the line during the CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent cycle at the squadron, group, or MAJCOM scope. And you are planning the post-AF transition 24-36 months out — the bachelor's / master's, the IC / federal civil-service GS conversion bridge (DIA, NSA, NGA, CIA, ODNI), the cleared-contractor billet, the AFCEA / INSA professional bench that hires senior 1N-series NCOs straight off uniform.

• 01Run a squadron / group superintendent's portfolio — climate, retention, training, EPB / Stratification slate, CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent posture, accession and cross-flow pipeline into and out of 1N0X1 and sister 1N AFSCs.
• 02Brief the wing CC / NAF / MAJCOM / supported CCMD J2 on enlisted intel readiness in language that defends at the next echelon up.
• 03Write SMSgt and CMSgt board endorsements that the board can defend at AFPC — measurable, unit-impact-driven, no Senior-NCO filler. The endorsements you write decide who is the next AFSC superintendent.
• 04Mentor the next MSgt / SMSgt slate honestly — career-broadening sequence, AAS / bachelor's / master's timing, CMSgt board posture, post-AF transition runway into the IC or cleared-contractor market.
• 05Run a CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent cycle end-to-end without senior-NCO-attributable CAT-1 findings — ICD 705 SCIF accreditation, ICD 503 IT compliance, DoDM 5240.01 audit, AFI 14-series compliance.
• 06Translate the Sixteenth Air Force / ACC A2 / DIA / ODNI strategy and the current AFPC Functional Manager guidance into enlisted-talent decisions at squadron, group, or AFSC scope.

• —CFETP 1N0X1 — you own the field-level audit and the Functional Manager input on revisions.
• —JP 2-0; JP 2-01; JP 2-01.3 — the joint doctrine you teach at scale.
• —ICD 203 / 206 / 208 / 503 / 705 — the IC standards you are now expected to teach against, not just consume.
• —DAFMAN 36-2406 — Evaluation Systems (you write SMSgt / CMSgt-level endorsements; verify current revision).
• —DAFI 36-2502 — Enlisted Promotions (the SMSgt / CMSgt board mechanics — Functional Manager nominations carry weight at this level).
• —AFI 14-series — AF Intelligence umbrella; DoDM 5240.01; EO 12333; AFI 1-1; AFI 36-2606; DAFMAN 36-2905; AFPC Functional Manager guidance for 1N0X1; the Chief Leadership Course reading list for CMSgt selectees.

• —Chief Leadership Course completion for CMSgt selectees before pin-on; SNCOA at Maxwell-Gunter Annex completed earlier in the timeline.
• —CCAF AAS complete; bachelor's complete or in finishing kick; master's in motion if CMSgt / Functional Manager / command CCM-track or joint senior enlisted billet.
• —Squadron / group CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent cycle passed without senior-NCO-attributable CAT-1 findings during your tenure as superintendent.
• —EPB / Stratification slate producing MSgt and SMSgt selectees at rates the Functional Manager points to in policy briefs.
• —Zero senior-NCO-level integrity, financial, fraternization, OPSEC, or CI / SAEDA-equivalent incidents. One ends the career permanently — and at this level, in this AFSC, also threatens the clearance and the IC reputation of everyone you mentored.

• —Pretending to be the senior analytic voice on a topic where you are out of date. Senior 1N NCOs lose authority by faking depth — the WOs do not exist in the AF intel community, but the GS-13 / GS-14 civilians at DIA, NSA, and NGA do, and they will catch you in the first meeting.
• —Letting the squadron / group CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent posture drift because "the SSO and the QA shop own it." You own it at the senior enlisted scope; the inspector reads the climate before the audit trail.
• —Treating the SMSgt / CMSgt board endorsement work as paperwork. The endorsements you write decide who is the next AFSC superintendent or Functional Manager at AFPC.
• —Confusing seniority with current analytic authority. Hire, promote, and mentor Airmen who are sharper than you and let them shine — that is the senior NCO's job at this rank in an AFSC where the threat picture moves quarter to quarter.
• —Going public with disagreement over a wing CC / NAF / CCMD J2 analytic or policy call. Take it in the office. Walk out aligned. The CMSgt who does not is a CMSgt who does not get the next assignment.

The good SMSgt / CMSgt 1N0X1 is the senior enlisted voice the wing CC, the NAF / MAJCOM commander, and the supported CCMD J2 name without thinking. The squadron / group climate is the one the IG asks other units to come see, the MSgt and SMSgt bench is pinning on first looks, the CCRI / IG / AFIA-equivalent cycle is clean, and the post-AF transition is already running — the bachelor's / master's is done or finishing, the IC / federal civil-service or cleared-contractor bridge is mapped, and the AFSC Functional Manager has the next CMSgt board case half-built before the package suspense lands.