Intelligence in Joint Commands

[Riley67f]

I've decided to enlist with either an Intelligence contract (02xx/26xx), or a Linguist contract (267x) so I've been reading through these forums looking for any information/advice, and I've noticed that when someone asks where they might get assigned (as a 02xx/26xx)they'll occasionally be advised to do well in MOS school so they have a better chance of being assigned to a Joint Command. Why is that? I'd imagine one would have more responsibilities there than in an infantry battalion (apparently the "lowest" assignment) or MEF, but why else would it be such an attractive assignment, and what sort of Commands might one be assigned to?

[Tennessee Top]

The US Central Command at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL is a joint command and is responsible for the southeast asia area of operations (AOR) which includes Iraq and Afghanistan. I was assigned there in the J2 (intelligence) directorate but not in an intel billet (I was in a special security billet). Obviously, what makes working at USCENTCOM so attractive is because those are the people planning and executing the war (not necessarily fighting it). The USCENTCOM foward deployed HQ is in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia (at least it was when I was there) and has a large intel section.

Another joint command is the US Southern Command which also has its headquarters at MacDill AFB in Tampa.

The US Special Operations Command is a joint command as well and it may also be at MacDill AFB but I'm not sure. It's obvious why being assigned there would be so attractive.

While it's true, being assigned to a joint command can be an attractive assignment for various reasons, I can tell you from personal experience, working with service members from other branches of the armed forces can be a REAL challenge for a Marine!

[26XXer]

As a current 26xx who just came from a joint command... you will probably go to a Marine command for the first few years. The Marines that get sent to joint commands usually (not always) have a few years of experience that makes them valuable there. The appeal of working for one is the difference in priorities and resources when it comes to doing the job. For obvious reasons no one can get into this on the forums with you and it is something you will have to find out through experience. Your impact on overseas efforts in the joint command influences an entire area of operations rather than just a single Battalion, which is why it is so different.