Geospatial Intelligence Imagery Analyst

You are the junior GEOINT analyst. You hold a TS/SCI and you cannot find a tank in a wood line yet — your job for the next 18 months is to learn to see, so the clearance is worth carrying.

You ran the 35G course at USAICoE, Fort Huachuca, and got dropped into a BCT MICO, a brigade S2 GEOINT cell, or a theater geospatial element where the analyst-of-record is a SSG who has exploited imagery through three rotations. You sit at a workstation and exploit overhead and airborne imagery — electro-optical, infrared, SAR — and you ride the full-motion video feed off a UAS for hours waiting for the one detail that matters. You produce annotated graphics, change-detection products, and the geospatial layers the all-source shop drapes its assessment over. You will also do the unglamorous part of the week — SCIF cleanup, classified destruction logs, DCGS-A and software-account paperwork, SIPR/JWICS PKI tokens, and the standing morning imagery slide that nobody told you was on you until 0530.

• 01Exploit a single image and write a first-phase report — what it is, where it is, how confident you are, named honestly — without inventing what you cannot see.
• 02Run an FMV "eyes-on" watch shift on a UAS feed: track the object, call the activity, log the time-on-target, hand off the bookkeeping clean.
• 03Drive DCGS-A (Distributed Common Ground System-Army) and the GEOINT exploitation toolset at the analyst level — ingest, exploit, annotate, export — without corrupting the project file.
• 04Build a basic geospatial product in the GIS toolset (ArcGIS-family) — accurate layers, correct projection, a legend the S2 can read at a glance.
• 05Apply the IPB process (ATP 2-01.3) to the terrain and threat side an imagery analyst owns — the imagery-derived overlays the S2 puts in the OPORD annex.
• 06Run a classified destruction line — SF 153 / DA 3964 cover sheets, two-person integrity, the burn-bag chain — without leaving a single page or thumb drive floating.

• —FM 2-0 — Intelligence (the doctrine spine; read chapters 1-3 your first month).
• —ATP 2-01.3 — Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (every analyst at every echelon lives here).
• —ATP 2-22.7 — Geospatial Intelligence (the GEOINT discipline doctrine — own it, do not just skim it).
• —AR 380-5 — Department of the Army Information Security Program (you sign for material under this reg every day).
• —AR 381-12 — Threat Awareness and Reporting Program (TARP) — what you report, when, to whom.
• —AR 25-2 — Army Cybersecurity (every system and drive you touch is governed by this).

• —GEOINT fundamentals certified through the schoolhouse pipeline; the GPC (GEOINT Professional Certification, USGIF) is the credential the section NCOIC starts tracking inside your first 18 months.
• —Foundry program seats taken on schedule — you consume the entry-level GEOINT, FMV, and exploitation-tool catalog before the unit picks for the next rotation.
• —ACFT 500+ floor; senior intel NCOs notice analysts who skate on PT — the SCIF gets a reputation fast.
• —SCI access maintained without a flag. One mishandling incident on an SCI image or a SAP product and you are walking out of the SCIF for the last time.
• —Annual SAEDA / TARP / cyber awareness / OPSEC training complete before the suspense — your name on the brigade non-compliance roll-up is the wrong way to be noticed.

• —Taking a cell phone into the SCIF. Even once. The Special Security Officer (SSO) pulls your access that afternoon and the investigation runs months.
• —Calling an object you cannot actually resolve at that resolution. "I think it is a launcher" written as "launcher confirmed" is how a brigade chases the wrong target.
• —Skipping the mensuration or the source/sensor citation because "everyone knows where it came from." The next echelon does not, and the inspection finding is on your name.
• —Sharing a SIPR or JWICS password, even with your own NCO. Two-person integrity is two people with their own credentials.
• —Treating destruction logs as a formality. A missing page on the SF 153 turns into a 15-6 investigation that costs the company a month.

The good cherry imagery analyst is the PFC the SSG hands the overnight FMV pull and the morning change-detection slide to without thinking, because the call is right and the product is on the S2's desk at 0530. By month nine they have the GPC in motion, by month eighteen they are running an exploitation position during a CTC rotation, and the warrant in the shop has started asking what they think about the 350G technician path.

You are the workhorse GEOINT analyst. The new privates copy how you build a product; the SSG drops the hard target on your screen and asks for the annotated graphic before lunch.

You own a piece of the BCT's imagery problem — a named area of interest, a target's pattern of life built from overhead, a UAS support shift, a country/terrain desk. You run FMV exploitation on live missions, build change-detection and imagery-derived target graphics, and produce the geospatial products the S2 puts in front of the BN CDR. You teach the newest PFC the exploitation toolset and SCIF discipline. You are also the bench when the SSG NCOIC has to leave the shop — you run the FMV watch, you cover the imagery brief, you sign for the SCIF on weekends.

• 01Build an imagery-derived target graphic that survives the BN S3 challenge — accurate mensuration, sensor/source line, pattern-of-life from overhead, NAIs, recommended follow-on collection, confidence and gaps named.
• 02Run a full FMV exploitation mission as the senior eyes-on — activity calls, track maintenance, near-real-time reporting to the supported staff, clean time-on-target log.
• 03Operate the GEOINT exploitation suite and DCGS-A at the section level — multi-source fusion of EO/IR/SAR, layered geospatial products, and the data-quality scrub the WO will catch you on if you skip it.
• 04Push and pull imagery products across enclaves (JWICS, SIPR, NIPR) without cross-domain spillage — one spillage rolls up to Army CI.
• 05Run a Request for Information (RFI) for collection to a theater geospatial element or NGA support team — phrase it so the answer comes back actionable, not a one-line referral.
• 06Apply the analytic standards from ICD 203 and the sourcing rules from ICD 206 — so your imagery product survives grading at the next echelon up.

• —ATP 2-22.7 — Geospatial Intelligence (own it, do not just refer to it).
• —ATP 2-01.3 — Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield.
• —ATP 2-19.4 — Brigade Combat Team Intelligence Techniques.
• —ICD 203 — Analytic Standards; ICD 206 — Sourcing Requirements for Disseminated Analytic Products (your products are graded against these above brigade).
• —AR 380-5 — Information Security Program; AR 381-12 — TARP.
• —NGA-published GEOINT tradecraft and standards guidance (the IC standard your imagery products are measured against).

• —GPC complete or in the window; consider the Foundry advanced GEOINT catalog (advanced exploitation, FMV, geospatial analysis, analytic writing) before the E-5 board.
• —BLC graduate; promotion points stacked through Foundry seats, ACFT, college credit, and credentials (a GIS or geospatial cert plays well in this MOS, CompTIA Sec+ is increasingly common in the intel community).
• —ACFT 540+ floor; SFC NCOICs notice the SPC who passes the test and brings the same intensity to the screen.
• —Section product quality tracked — RFI satisfaction, mensuration accuracy, target-graphic sign-off cycle — coming back from BN/BCT with the gaps closed, not "needs more work."
• —Source/sensor-citation discipline 100%. The SSO inspects on this; ICD 206 grades on this; the next echelon up reads it.

• —Plagiarizing a higher-echelon imagery product onto your slide without the sensor/source line. The WO catches it, the captain catches it, and the credibility never comes back.
• —Pushing a confidence the imagery does not support because the CO wants it. "Possible" becomes "confirmed" and the BN runs an operation it should not have.
• —Skipping mensuration on a coordinate "because it looks close enough." A bad mensurated point on a target graphic is how good people put rounds in the wrong place.
• —Letting a junior analyst run on a SCIF terminal as you. Account sharing is logged, and the audit at the next quarterly inspection finds it.
• —Taking SCI-derived imagery analysis to the SIPR side without the proper sanitization / tear-line. One spillage is a CI investigation.

The good Specialist 35G is the analyst the section sergeant assigns the hardest target graphic on Monday because it comes back clean by Wednesday, mensurated, sourced, and ready for the BN CDR. He has the GPC on the wall, a Foundry advanced course in his folder, a GIS or Sec+ voucher in motion, and the warrant has started the 350G technician packet conversation with him.

You are an NCO now and an imagery analyst with a vote in the SCIF. The privates do their counselings off your statements; the SSG NCOIC briefs the BN CDR off products you signed for.

You own a 3-5 soldier GEOINT section — an FMV watch shift, an exploitation cell, a target-development desk, or a BCT imagery support cell. You QC the products before they leave the SCIF — you are the "I am not signing this until the mensuration and the source line are right" voice. You counsel your soldiers on the 14th and after every product cycle. You write the section's imagery input to the daily INTSUM. You sit at the S2 huddle, defend the section's confidence under BN-CDR questioning, and run the FMV watch when the SSG is at sick call or in SLC. You will still be at the screen pulling feeds and exploiting frames — the moment you stop seeing for yourself is the moment you start signing other people's mistakes.

• 01Run an FMV exploitation watch as the senior analyst — mission coverage, near-real-time reporting, escalation chain to the WO and S2 OIC inside published timelines.
• 02Lead an imagery-driven target-development cycle from PIR / EEI through nomination — IPB-aligned, joint-targeting-cycle-compatible (JP 3-60), mensuration and source audit-defensible.
• 03QC a target graphic the way the next echelon will — sensor/source line, mensuration accuracy, confidence honesty, gaps named — and send it back when it is not there.
• 04Write the DA 4856 counseling that documents both the technical miss and the development plan — Plan of Action specific and measurable, not "soldier will improve product quality."
• 05Mentor a SPC through their first independent target graphic — including the conversation where you do not sign it until the call matches the resolution.
• 06Operate the GEOINT exploitation suite, DCGS-A, and the GIS toolset (ArcGIS-family) well enough to teach the section, not just use them.

• —FM 2-0 — Intelligence (own it cover-to-cover at this rank).
• —ATP 2-22.7 — Geospatial Intelligence; ATP 2-01.3 — IPB.
• —ATP 2-19.4 — BCT Intelligence Techniques.
• —ICD 203 — Analytic Standards; ICD 206 — Sourcing Requirements for Disseminated Analytic Products.
• —JP 2-0 — Joint Intelligence; JP 3-60 — Joint Targeting (when you nominate off imagery, this is the playbook).
• —AR 380-5 — Information Security Program; AR 381-12 — TARP; AR 25-2 — Cybersecurity.

• —BLC graduate; ALC slot built and ready when the schedule drops.
• —GPC complete; Foundry mid-career GEOINT catalog seats taken (advanced exploitation, FMV, geospatial analysis, structured analytic techniques).
• —ACFT 560+ as a floor — your soldiers do not respect an NCO who skates on the test they are graded on.
• —Section product quality measurable — RFI rework rate, mensuration error rate, target-graphic sign-off cycle — and trending the right way under your tenure.
• —Promotion points stacked: Foundry seats, weapons quals, college (CLEP/DSST/TA), a geospatial/GIS credential, correspondence (DLC).

• —Signing a product off a call your soldier made that you did not personally check against the imagery. You signed it; you own it at the BUB.
• —Counseling verbally. If the SPC's mensuration or source-discipline slip is not in writing, the senior rater cannot defend you and the SSG cannot help you.
• —Letting an RFI for collection rot. Every RFI not closed inside the timeline is a senior commander somewhere making a decision without your imagery in it.
• —Skipping the CI / SAEDA reporting line on an indicator of a soldier issue (foreign contact, financial distress, unreported travel). AR 381-12 is not optional; the SSO will find out from someone else.
• —Treating SCIF physical security as the SSO's job. Door propped, badge on the wrong side, an image on a screen turned to the hallway — your name comes up in the next inspection out-brief.

The good SGT 35G is the analyst the S2 OIC trusts with the BN CDR's imagery brief on a Saturday. His section's target graphics get nominated up clean; his soldiers earn the GPC the first time; his SPCs are on the SGT-board slate when their time comes. The WO has him on the short list for the 350G packet, and the brigade S2 SGM knows his name.

You are the section NCOIC — the senior GEOINT analyst on a BN/BCT S2 staff, an MI company collection cell, or a theater geospatial line. The captain runs the staff; you run the analysts, the feeds, and the ground truth in the imagery.

You own a 6-12 soldier GEOINT section or platoon-equivalent. You write the section's input to the QTB. You sign for the SCIF and the exploitation systems within it. You build two SGTs into ALC-graduate, SLC-ready NCOs. You sit in the BCT S2 huddle and at the brigade targeting working group, where the imagery you stand behind drives nominations. You will brief brigade-level imagery and terrain assessments to an O-6 at least once a quarter, and you will defend a confidence line off a low-resolution image to a colonel who wants a cleaner answer than the sensor gave you.

• 01Run a BCT-level GEOINT cell during a CTC rotation (NTC, JRTC, JMRC) — FMV watch, change detection, target-graphic production, BUB inputs, collection-RFI management, all without losing the products.
• 02Defend the section's imagery call to the BCT CDR or S3 under pressure — say "the sensor will not resolve that" when the room wants more certainty, and back it up.
• 03Build a six-month training plan that produces one exploitation-instructor-level NCO, two ICD-203/206-compliant product writers, and three certified GEOINT-tool operators.
• 04Run the Foundry GEOINT program for the section — slot management, prerequisite tracking, post-course product follow-through. Foundry seats wasted are the SSG's on the next inspection.
• 05Mentor your SGTs on NCOER writing, board prep, and the 350G / 35-series technician conversation honestly.
• 06Translate imagery uncertainty into a recommendation the BCT CDR can act on without losing the uncertainty in translation.

• —FM 2-0 — Intelligence; ATP 2-22.7 — Geospatial Intelligence; ATP 2-19.4 — BCT Intelligence Techniques.
• —ICD 203 — Analytic Standards; ICD 206 — Sourcing; ICD 208 — Maximizing the Utility of Analytic Products.
• —JP 2-0 — Joint Intelligence; JP 3-60 — Joint Targeting; JP 2-01 — Joint and National Intelligence Support to Military Operations.
• —AR 380-5 — Information Security; AR 381-10 — US Army Intelligence Activities; AR 381-12 — TARP.
• —NGA GEOINT tradecraft and standards guidance — the IC measuring stick your section's products meet above brigade.
• —AR 623-3 — Evaluation Reporting; AR 600-8-19 — Enlisted Promotions (you write NCOERs that pick the next slate).

• —ALC graduate; SLC packet built; consider a senior GEOINT/exploitation course or a Foundry instructor-level seat as the differentiator.
• —GPC plus advanced Foundry GEOINT catalog complete; a geospatial/GIS or Sec+ credential if the unit slots are funded.
• —Section GPC pass rate at or above 90%; Foundry seat utilization at or above 95%; zero imagery-product retractions in your tenure.
• —NCOER bullets on the OFFICIAL achievement list — action-result-impact, measurable, no "demonstrated outstanding analytic performance" filler.
• —Section ACFT pass rate at or above brigade S2 average — the intel guys do not get to skip the test.

• —Letting a junior analyst push an imagery product to the BN CDR without your sign-off. You signed for the section; you own every call that leaves the SCIF.
• —Writing an NCOER as a wish-list. Senior raters at brigade read every 35-series NCOER and remember the SSG who inflated the SGT who could not mensurate a target.
• —Confusing a pretty product with a correct one. A clean-looking graphic built on a misread image is worse than an ugly one that is right — be honest about which one the section is shipping.
• —Bypassing the SSO on a physical-security or PERSEC finding. The SSO outranks you on SCIF compliance, and the report goes up the chain you cannot influence.
• —Letting the warrant officer / 350G conversation be transactional. The 350G technician career is one of the most consequential paths in this MOS — mentor it like it is.

The good SSG 35G runs a section the BCT S2 OIC names in the brigade slide as "GEOINT is solid." His SGTs are SLC-board ready. His section produces target graphics that get nominated up to division and theater. His soldiers re-enlist or transition with GEOINT and GIS credentials the contractor across the SCIF wants on the resume. He has a 350G packet on the table when the WO asks if he is interested in technician school.

You are the senior GEOINT NCO in a Military Intelligence Company, the brigade S2 imagery NCOIC, or a senior watch NCO on a theater geospatial staff. The BCT S2 OIC briefs the commander off the imagery-readiness picture you produced.

You run the platoon's or staff's entire enlisted GEOINT workforce — training, evaluations, schools, Foundry pipeline, GPC pipeline, 350G mentorship, FMV crew certification, retention, discipline. You build the MICO commander or the S2 OIC into the next echelon. You write four-to-five NCOERs per cycle that pick the next SSG / SFC slate across the brigade's imagery community. You walk the line during exercises — the BCT S3, the brigade SGM, and the senior WO technician all rely on your read of GEOINT readiness. You will also still be the senior imagery voice on a hard target the BCT CDR wants a second opinion on.

• 01Run an MI Company GEOINT platoon through a CTC rotation and a real-world contingency mission, back-to-back, without losing the products, the feeds, or the soldiers.
• 02Build the brigade's enlisted GEOINT training plan — Foundry slot allocation, GPC scheduling, ALC/SLC sequencing, FMV crew certification — and defend it at the brigade QTB.
• 03Mentor a 350G (Geospatial Intelligence Imagery Technician) candidate through their packet and selection board.
• 04Operate as senior GEOINT NCO on a JTF, INSCOM unit, theater intel/geospatial brigade, or NGA support cell — speak the language of the supported staff, not just the home one.
• 05Run a CCRI / IG-style intel inspection from the inside — physical security, ICD 503-aligned IT compliance, ICD 705 SCIF accreditation, AR 380-5 / 381-12 audits — and defend the findings.
• 06Run brigade-level imagery and FMV support during a contested event alongside a theater geospatial element or INSCOM detachment.

• —FM 2-0; ATP 2-22.7 — Geospatial Intelligence; ATP 2-19.4 — the doctrine you teach now, not just consume.
• —ICD 203 / 206 / 208 — Analytic Standards, Sourcing, Utility.
• —ICD 503 — IC IT Systems Security Risk Management; ICD 705 — SCIF Accreditation (your physical-security and IT compliance plumbing).
• —AR 381-10 — US Army Intelligence Activities; AR 381-12 — TARP; AR 380-5 — Information Security.
• —JP 2-0; JP 3-60; JP 2-01 — the joint-side reading you brief from at echelons above brigade.
• —NGA GEOINT standards guidance; INSCOM / ARCYBER / CIO-G6 FRAGOs and ALARACTs; USAICoE senior-leader publications.

• —SLC graduate; MLC packet built — required for E-8 board competitiveness.
• —GPC plus the Foundry senior GEOINT catalog or a senior exploitation course on the record brief — the visible differentiator.
• —Brigade GPC pass rate at or above 90%; Foundry utilization at or above 95%; zero unresolved CAT-1 SCIF accreditation findings during your tenure.
• —350G accession pipeline producing at least one selected candidate per year out of your platoon or section.
• —NCOER profile defensible at brigade and division — the rated NCOs you raised are getting selected on the next slate.

• —Letting one FMV crew or exploitation cell drift because the SSG NCOIC is "your guy." The IG and the SSO find it first; the BCT CSM finds it second.
• —Briefing a confidence level you cannot defend at the next echelon up. Theater geospatial brigades, INSCOM, and NGA support staff read brigade imagery products; they remember who stood behind what.
• —Confusing tactical-BCT exploitation with national-level GEOINT analysis. The tools overlap; the standards do not. Be honest about which one your platoon is producing.
• —Skipping the family-readiness piece because "the spouses run that." GEOINT deployment tempo, shift-work FMV burnout, and clearance-reinvestigation stress are real, and you sign the readiness report.
• —Going around the BCT S2 OIC to division G2. The CSM's door closes; the slate gets read out at the next CSM conference.

The good SFC 35G is the senior GEOINT NCO the BCT CSM and S2 OIC trust to run the brigade's imagery readiness through a CTC rotation and a real-world contingency without surprises. His 350G pipeline is producing accessions; his platoon's NCOERs pick the next SSG-board slate; his SGTs are on the SLC slot list. He is on the short list for First Sergeant of an MI company before he sits MLC.

You are the senior enlisted GEOINT/ISR voice on a brigade, theater intel/geospatial brigade, INSCOM unit, or higher staff — or the 1SG of an MI company. The BCT CDR or the INSCOM CG names you in the slide.

As 1SG you run an MI company — analysts, imagery and FMV crews, linguists, signals and CI soldiers, the SCIF footprint, the orderly room, the supply room, the security clearances, and the readiness reporting. As SGM/CSM on a brigade, theater intel/geospatial brigade, INSCOM, NGA support element, or higher staff, you set the standard for the enlisted GEOINT and ISR workforce at scale — training, certifications, retention, the 350G / 35-series technician and 35Z senior-MI-sergeant pipeline, command climate inside a closed-access, shift-driven workforce. You sit in the ISR-strategy conversation alongside O-5s and O-6s; you advise on enlisted talent slate at echelons above brigade.

• 01Run an MI company / brigade S2 / theater geospatial brigade enlisted readiness picture — Foundry, GPC, FMV crew certification, IAT-II/III, 350G accessions — and defend it at the BCT or INSCOM CG level.
• 02Mentor a 350G / 35-series technician and 35Z senior-MI-sergeant slate at the brigade or higher staff level.
• 03Brief the BCT, theater intel/geospatial brigade, INSCOM, or division CG on enlisted GEOINT/ISR readiness in language the CG can defend at the next higher echelon.
• 04Run a SCIF accreditation cycle (ICD 705) and an IC IT compliance cycle (ICD 503) end-to-end without senior-NCO-attributable CAT-1 findings.
• 05Translate the Army intelligence enterprise / INSCOM / NGA-partner strategy into enlisted-talent decisions at the unit — slots, schools, assignments, retention bonuses.
• 06Run a casualty notification or PERSEC / CI compromise response in a closed-access workforce with the dignity and discretion the population requires.

• —AR 600-20 — Command Policy; AR 27-10 — Military Justice (you are in the room).
• —AR 381-10 — US Army Intelligence Activities; AR 381-12 — TARP; AR 380-5 — Information Security; AR 25-2 — Cybersecurity.
• —ICD 503 — IC IT Risk Management; ICD 705 — SCIF Accreditation; ICD 203 / 206 / 208 — Analytic Standards (you teach these now).
• —JP 2-0 — Joint Intelligence; JP 2-01; INSCOM / ARCYBER / NGA-issued FRAGOs and ALARACTs.
• —The 1SG Course / USASMA / SGM-A reading list — you are now expected to teach doctrine and translate strategy down.
• —DoDM 8140 — Cyberspace Workforce (your IAT-II/III soldiers ride on it); DoD 5105.21-series — Sensitive Compartmented Information Administrative Security Manual.

• —USASMA / SGM-A completion before competing for command CSM slate.
• —Brigade or higher-staff SCIF accreditation passes without senior-NCO-attributable CAT-1 findings during your tenure.
• —350G / 35-series accession pipeline producing 1+ selected candidate per year from your unit.
• —NCOER profile that the senior rater can defend at brigade, division, and INSCOM-equivalent staff — your rated NCOs are picking up 1SG / SGM chevrons on schedule.
• —Zero senior-NCO-level integrity, financial, fraternization, OPSEC, or CI incidents. One ends the career permanently — and at this rank, in this MOS, also threatens the clearance of everyone you mentored.

• —Pretending to be the senior technical voice on an exploitation tool or sensor you are out of date on. Senior GEOINT NCOs lose authority by faking depth — the WOs and the GS-13 analysts catch you the first week.
• —Letting a 1SG-led company drift on SCIF accreditation or CI compliance because "the SSO will catch it." You own it; the SSO is your partner, not your replacement.
• —Treating the 350G / 35Z slate conversation as transactional. The technician and senior-MI-sergeant paths are the highest-leverage careers in the GEOINT community — mentor them like it.
• —Going public with disagreement over a CO's imagery call or a J2's targeting decision. Take it in the office. Walk out aligned, or push back in writing through the right echelon.
• —Confusing seniority with current relevance. GEOINT moves fast — new sensors, new tools, new exploitation tradecraft. The soldier exploiting today's feed is closer to the truth than the CSM who has not sat a watch in three years.

The good GEOINT CSM / 1SG / SGM is the senior NCO the brigade, theater intel/geospatial brigade, INSCOM, or division CG names without thinking. His MI company is the one the BCT pulls forward for the contested rotation. His 350G accession rate is in the upper third of the community; his rated NCOs are picking up first sergeant chevrons on schedule. He is the enlisted voice in the room when the J2 and the BCT CDR disagree on what the imagery is showing, and the conversation ends with the analytic line intact.