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ArmyIntelligenceRank #20 of 101 by 4-year cost
35L

Counterintelligence Agent

52-week pipeline · BCT + CI Agent Course · Fort Huachuca, AZ
Training Pipeline
$102K
52 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$68K
E-4/E-5, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$4K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$390K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$102K26%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$272K70%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$16K4%
Training: 26% · MILPERS: 70% · Equipment: 4%= $390K
By the Numbers

A TS/SCI clearance costs $15,000–$30,000 in background investigation alone — before the soldier ever starts training. The government's investment in 35L begins before their first day at the CI course.

Training Pipeline
Duration
52 weeks
Type
BCT + CI Agent Course
Location
Fort Huachuca, AZ
Pipeline Cost
$102K

The CI Agent Course is one year long — longer than many military occupations' entire training pipeline. Graduates hold a TS/SCI clearance that costs $15,000–$30,000 to process.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·M17 Pistol
  • ·Classified Investigative Equipment
  • ·Interview Recording Systems
  • ·Polygraph Support Tools (select)
Annual Equipment Burden
$4K/yr
Classified equipment classified — estimate for unclassified budget disclosure
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-4/E-5, 3 years service
Base MILPERS$63K/yr
Specialty Pay(Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP))+$5K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$68K/yr
Specialty pays account for $5K annually (7% of total compensation).
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~450
Avg Career Length8 years
Annual Training Bill$45.9M
Total Force 4yr Cost$175.3M
Read 35L Reviews →← All MOS ProfilesAverage Per-Soldier Cost →
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Cost estimates derived from DoD Comptroller per-soldier analysis, RAND Corporation military personnel studies, CBO military compensation reports, service-specific training cost testimony, and published equipment unit costs. Error margin ±15%. Individual costs vary by duty station, assignment, and deployment tempo. This is Phase 3 of the Honest MOS DoD Budget Intelligence Roadmap.