Collect, process, and disseminate signals intelligence information for military operations and analysis.
ASVAB ST: 101
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Signals Collectors and Analysts search the electromagnetic spectrum, identify signals of interest and analyze what they reveal about an adversary. Work happens on technical equipment in secure spaces or on collection platforms, and a shift can involve long stretches of searching, tuning and logging. You build technical records of what was found, where it came from and how it fits the larger picture. Field time means setting up antennas and systems, troubleshooting them in bad weather and keeping them running. The pace alternates between routine collection and periods when something new appears and everyone's attention turns toward it.
You learn radio frequency theory, antenna behavior, signal identification and the practical side of operating sensitive collection equipment. Analysis training teaches you to derive meaning from patterns of communication and not only from the content itself, which is a different way of thinking. Troubleshooting hardware and software in the field, with no manufacturer to call, builds real technical repair intuition. You write classified technical reports and learn the exacting formatting and sourcing standards that govern them. Working with databases and analytic tools develops data handling skills that transfer to any technical role.
The field rewards technical curiosity and a willingness to keep working a problem after the obvious answers have failed. You develop sustained focus, since collection is often hours of nothing followed by minutes that matter enormously. The job builds precision, because one mislogged detail can push analysis in the wrong direction. It also teaches you to operate independently on a small team where nobody else can check your work in real time. Over time you become confident with complex equipment that intimidates most people who meet it for the first time.
Spectrum and radio frequency expertise is genuinely scarce, and paired with a clearance it makes you competitive for cleared technical work immediately. Defense contractors, federal agencies and telecommunications companies hire from this field for signals analysis, testing and engineering support. The data analysis side supports a move into cybersecurity, network analysis or broader data work. Wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers value people who understand how radio actually behaves in the real world. An engineering degree on the GI Bill is a natural next step, and you would begin it already fluent in the fundamentals.
You report to a classified workspace, bring your collection systems online, and begin scanning the electromagnetic spectrum for targets of interest. Your day is spent intercepting, identifying, and analyzing signals, geolocating emitters, and turning raw intercepts into intelligence reports. Working the SIGINT problem alongside analysts, you help commanders understand where the enemy is and what they're doing.
Related career-field video—not specific to Army 35S.
No suitable exact-MOS video was verified in the recorded search. This does not establish that none exists.
Related field: military intelligence — human intelligence perspective. Source occupation: Army 35M.
U.S. Army Sergeant John Gilliam, a Human Intelligence Collector with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty, NC, discusses his duties as a Human Intelligence Collector. The U.S. Army gives soldiers the ability to learn skills that can carry over to the private sector. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Michael Bradle)
Official publisher description and direct video page checked; playback not independently watched. Checked 2026-10-25. This assignment may not reflect every posting in this career.
$43,902–$74,948
2026 basic pay only; the same grade and service time pay the same across jobs. Promotions are assumed, not promised. Excludes allowances, bonuses and special pays.
Possibilities for serving Soldiers, including those in support roles—not guaranteed admission or awards. Individual eligibility, assignment, selection, available training or competition places and successful qualification apply.
Earned by successfully completing Ranger School's demanding leadership and field training.
Not restricted to combat MOSs. Requires selection, a school slot and current course prerequisites. The tab does not mean assignment to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Recognizes successful airborne qualification, including the required training jumps.
Support specialties can attend too; the Army explicitly gives human resources and wheeled-vehicle mechanics as examples. Requires a school slot and medical, physical and course qualification.
Earned through Air Assault School, covering helicopter operations, sling loads and rappelling.
Available across job specialties, not just combat roles, subject to unit nomination, available seats and current school requirements.
A waiver-dependent opportunity outside engineering; earned by successfully completing the Sapper Leader Course.
Conditional opportunity: Soldiers outside engineering must submit a waiver to attend. Approval is not guaranteed; all other course requirements still apply.
Recognizes tested Soldier proficiency in specialties outside the infantry, Special Forces and medical expert-badge tracks.
A skills-based distinction for support and other eligible MOSs. Current proponent requirements and successful testing apply; holding this MOS does not award the badge.
Sources reviewed . Confirm current course and badge requirements with official school guidance and your unit.
For Army 35S Signals Acquisition/Exploitation Analyst, official service-wide guidance and any exact feeder-list matches are distinguished below from unverified specialty-specific requirements. Ranks are not separate jobs, and these possibilities are not guaranteed promotions or available contracts.
Examples of higher service ranks
These are service-wide rank names, not a verified promotion ladder for this specialty. Examples are not exhaustive; appointments sharing a pay grade are not additional promotion steps.
Official military rank referenceThe Army distinguishes enlisted, warrant officer, and commissioned officer ranks. These are separate career tracks; a warrant appointment is not the next enlisted promotion. The Army rank chart does not establish a maximum rank for this specialty.
Army rank structureThe official Army feeder list explicitly names this MOS for the options below. Only the feeder-list match is confirmed—not all prerequisites, current component availability, or individual eligibility.
Published feeder conditions: 35N, 35P, 35S
Published feeder conditions: 35S
Specialty-specific advancement, senior assignments, and eligibility for a different personnel category have not been verified for this listing. No feeder eligibility or automatic transition to another specialty is implied.
Advancement depends on current service rules, performance, required education, qualifications, selection, and authorized positions—not simply years served. Confirm current requirements with an official recruiter or career counselor.
Related military jobs below are for exploration, not promised progression or confirmed transfer paths.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-03. This is a partial evidence review, not verification of every advancement route for this specialty. Source retrieval dates do not replace policy effective dates.
Career-field mappings, not automatic qualifications. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024 national medians). O*NET links explain each occupation; military experience does not guarantee a job or salary.
Collect, process, and disseminate signals intelligence information for military operations and analysis.
Signals Collectors and Analysts search the electromagnetic spectrum, identify signals of interest and analyze what they reveal about an adversary. Work happens on technical equipment in secure spaces or on collection platforms, and a shift can involve long stretches of searching, tuning and logging. You build technical records of what was found, where it came from and how it fits the larger picture. Field time means setting up antennas and systems, troubleshooting them in bad weather and keeping them running. The pace alternates between routine collection and periods when something new appears and everyone's attention turns toward it.
You learn radio frequency theory, antenna behavior, signal identification and the practical side of operating sensitive collection equipment. Analysis training teaches you to derive meaning from patterns of communication and not only from the content itself, which is a different way of thinking. Troubleshooting hardware and software in the field, with no manufacturer to call, builds real technical repair intuition. You write classified technical reports and learn the exacting formatting and sourcing standards that govern them. Working with databases and analytic tools develops data handling skills that transfer to any technical role.
Spectrum and radio frequency expertise is genuinely scarce, and paired with a clearance it makes you competitive for cleared technical work immediately. Defense contractors, federal agencies and telecommunications companies hire from this field for signals analysis, testing and engineering support. The data analysis side supports a move into cybersecurity, network analysis or broader data work. Wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers value people who understand how radio actually behaves in the real world. An engineering degree on the GI Bill is a natural next step, and you would begin it already fluent in the fundamentals.
ASVAB ST: 101. This is the catalog's listed requirement, not an individual eligibility decision. Confirm the current standard and any exceptions with the service.
This specialty can be pursued through an initial enlistment, subject to eligibility and available contracts. Confirm the current status of this specific classification with an official recruiter.
Catalog sources consulted: 2026-09-26. This is not an entry-by-entry verification date. No record-specific verification date is recorded. Occupation audit evidence reviewed: 2026-09-26; this does not re-verify every requirement.
Confirmed in DA PAM 611-21 Smartbook, November 2025, historical end-of-FY2025 snapshot (https://api.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/2025/12/04/7573670f/chapter-10-enlisted-base-chapter.pdf). The Army maintains a newer restricted version; it was not sought or accessed. Checked 2026-09-27. Confirmation means documented appearance, not present-day accession availability. Observed specification timing: Effective 202311. Retained appearances include historical and future-effective specifications, not necessarily current availability.
Official branch occupation evidence
Occupation correction noted. Cited classification identifies title Signals Acquisition/Exploitation Analyst. This does not confirm an open recruiting contract.
Army G-1 DA Pam 611-21, chapter 10C: enlisted MOS specifications (historical public consolidation, December 2025) · reviewed 2026-09-26
Confirmed. Catalog evidence is not an inventory of open contracts.
No dated public inventory confirmed a currently open recruiting contract for this role. This does not mean there are no openings. Confirm current eligibility and offers with an official recruiter.
Advertised — Army, as of 2026-09-28Deployment likelihood: Moderate*
* Estimated. Rank progression and specialty-pay eligibility are illustrative assumptions. Deployment likelihood, when shown, is inferred from similar specialties in the branch and career field, not a published specialty deployment rate.
Descriptions may change. No military role is free from risk of injury or death, including non-combat work. Catalog review dates do not establish current openings or re-verification of every requirement.
Recruiting signals reflect what each branch published on the dates shown. They are not offers, and they do not mean a contract is open for you. Eligibility depends on your ASVAB scores, medical qualification, security clearance eligibility, and ship date. Confirm everything with an official recruiter. See our Disclaimer and Terms.