A Professional Military Education In National Security Provides For Better Career Options

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was established in 1961 to correct problems in military intelligence. The major problems with military intelligence prior to the inception of the DIA were poor management and a poor intelligence product. Moreover, the Cold War was in full force at the time. The Soviet Union was believed to have a sophisticated missile capability and they had just launched the Sputnik.

The DIA has played a major role in many of the nation's significant shaping events. The DIA has had a hand in dealing with the Cuban missile crisis, global terrorist movements, insurgencies, and arms proliferation. Currently, the DIA's mission and strategic outlook is to win wars, prevent strategic surprise, deter conflict, and prepare to defeat future adversaries. To achieve these goals the DIA collects, processes, exploits, and analyzes foreign military and defense related information.

One major goal of the DIA is to prevent strategic surprise and support contingency operations. To achieve this goal the DIA seeks to establish an early warning system and it seeks to integrate numerous intelligence capabilities such as collection, analysis, counterintelligence, and science and technology to function as a coherent whole.

Needless to say, the DIA plays a critical role in national security. The DIA has jobs, like many agencies in the strategic security arena, that are available to those who are qualified for them. Though there may not be one single qualifying credential for work in the DIA, it is reasonable to presume that a professional military education, perhaps in security studies, brings a potential applicant closer to working in the DIA.

The student interested in serving national security interests, such as those described in the DIA, is well served by attaining a degree in security studies. Similarly, a professional military education will also aid a potential applicant. It is up to the potential applicant to find this professional military education or security studies. That should not be too hard because there are a number of institutions that offer studies in these domains.

The serious applicant, however, should be cautious about just where he or she goes to find education. There are many universities that claim to offer degrees in security studies or other programs relevant to national security. However, the student seeking such a degree will receive the highest quality education from an accredited university with a distinguished faculty.

The degree and program of training will have much more utility if taught by faculty with real world experience in the intelligence field. Having such mentors and instructors means that the student will be in a better position to "hit the ground running" because he or she will have received an insider's perspective on the intelligence community. That kind of cultural transmission cannot effectively be communicated by way of textbooks.

Much has changed since 1961 and the beginning days of the DIA. That change is a direct result of taking intelligence as a serious matter. That seriousness is demonstrated in the rigorous application process and the expectations of those applicants. One way to increase the chances of being hired is to earn a degree in intelligence.

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Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, professional military education, national security, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

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