Recruiting: Requirements for Enrolment

The minimum requirements for membership anywhere in the Canadian Forces are:

• Canadian Citizenship
• At least 17 years of age
• Grade 10 or higher education
• Be clear of any judicial obligations

In addition, all members must meet the CF physical fitness standards before being enrolled, and maintain them throughout their career:

Applicants will also be required to take and pass a medical evaluation, and pass a Canadian Forces Aptitude Test, which evaluates your verbal skills, spatial ability and problem solving.

Applicants in the intelligence branch have additional hurdles. Because we frequently deal with classified information, all our members must gain and keep a security clearance higher than other reservists. This requires that our members be of strong character, demonstrating our reliability and loyalty in all things, throughout our careers. Expect background checks will be conducted on you when you join, and throughout your stay in the intelligence branch.

Applicants for intelligence will need to be able to provide two letters of reference, and complete both a DND Personal Security Assessment and a Government of Canada Personnel Security Clearance Questionnaire as part of their application. Applicants who have not resided in Canada for the previous ten years, or who have immediate relatives living abroad, can expect to be subject to additional scrutiny.

As well, as a unit focussed on overseas deployment, we are specifically interested in attracting individuals who are prepared to serve one or more overseas tours as intelligence operators during their military career. An overseas deployment, with pre-deployment training, can last up to nine months: in recent years reservist CF intelligence staff have augmented Regular Force deployments to Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Haiti. The choice on when to volunteer for overseas deployment is entirely yours; however, the Canadian Forces never deploys soldiers overseas until they are properly trained and personally prepared, and over 18 years of age.

Patrolling in Afghanistan (image: CF Combat Camera)

The following attributes are also valuable to have in the intelligence branch, but are not mandatory:

• A valid driver's license
• Foreign language capability or French proficiency
• Computer literacy

At the start of the enrolment process, you will be required to complete an Employment Application Form (DND 2170). You will also be required to provide the following supporting documentation. We cannot start processing your application until all these have been provided:

• Original transcripts for your level of education (high school and post-secondary)
• Social Insurance Number (SIN) card
• Birth certificate (plus proof of citizenship and landed immigrant papers if born outside of Canada)
• Proof of marital status (if applicable)

Interested? Email us at recruiting@2intcoy.org.

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How can I tell if Intelligence work is right for me?

The intelligence branch is looking for motivated people: those who possess strong interpersonal skills and an ability to take the initiative. We want people who are empathetic and sensitive to different cultures and experiences; who are adaptable and embrace new experiences with confidence. We want people who can work both independently and as a member of a team.

Intelligence analysis is a specialized skill, for which not everyone has an affinity. While techniques and procedures can be learned, you need to enjoy the kind of mental organization and problem solving tasks we are presented with every day. Here are some indicators you may have an affinity for combat intelligence work:

• interest in current events; regular reading of newspapers/newsmagazines;
• enjoyment of sports where you compete against opponents (fencing, football), not just yourself;
• comfort in outdoor settings (Girl Guides/Scouts, camping trips);
• childhood participation in collection-type hobbies: rock or stamp collecting, bird watching, etc.;
• enjoyment of strategy board games (Go, Chess, Risk) or pastimes that emphasize knowledge recall and problem solving (crossword puzzles);
• enjoyment of computer strategy games (Civilization, Starcraft) or exploring online universes (Everquest);
• writing, either for employment, or as a hobby (diarizing);
• comfort with speaking in public (debating, drama);
• a flair for organizing things yourself (books on a shelf, recipe boxes, tidying the garage);
• a fondness for new and different places/foods/cultures, especially those you find through "travelling," not "tourism."
• wide-ranging (eclectic) tastes in reading, music, or art.
• interest in academic subjects such as: information studies, history, political science, economics, languages, psychology, foreign studies, journalism, or criminology.

If many or most of these statements would apply to you, you could well have an innate flair for military intelligence work. The next step is up to you.