Collects and analyzes signal intelligence for homeland security and military operations.
ASVAB ST: 101
Catalog listing, not a contract offer. Confirm with a recruiter.
Collection analysts search the electromagnetic spectrum, identify signals worth attention and log what they find with technical precision. Guard drill weekends put you on collection systems in a secure area, or outside setting up antennas and making the equipment behave. Annual training is where the section deploys its systems properly, running them in the field and fixing them in bad weather. The tasking here is national, so activations tend toward federal missions rather than the state emergency work other Guard units do. During the week you are at a civilian job or in class, and the electronics knowledge transfers in both directions.
You learn radio frequency theory, antenna behavior, signal identification and the practical operation of sensitive collection equipment. Search technique is its own craft, and you develop an ear and an eye for what does not fit the background. Field repair of hardware and software, with no vendor on the other end of a phone, builds real diagnostic instinct. Technical reporting standards are exacting, and you learn to record a finding so someone else can act on it. Working with databases and analytic tools rounds the job out with data handling skills that travel anywhere.
Collection rewards technical curiosity and the stubbornness to keep working a problem after the obvious approaches have all failed. You build sustained focus, since long quiet stretches can end in a handful of minutes that matter enormously. Precision becomes reflex, because a single mislogged detail can send the whole analysis down the wrong road. Small teams teach you to operate independently, with nobody sitting nearby who can check your work in real time. Over time you get comfortable with complicated equipment that most people outside the field find intimidating.
Spectrum expertise is scarce, and combined with a clearance it makes you competitive for cleared technical work almost immediately. Defense contractors and federal agencies recruit from this field for signals analysis, system testing and field engineering support. Wireless carriers, spectrum management offices and equipment manufacturers value people who know how radio behaves outside a lab. The data analysis half of the job opens routes into cybersecurity and network analysis if the hardware side stops appealing. Part time service is what makes it work, since the cleared civilian job and the military record build on the same weeks.
Your shift begins at the collection position, tuning receivers and reviewing tasking with your team lead. You spend the day intercepting and logging signals, geolocating emitters, and processing what you collect into intelligence for homeland-security and military missions. Long stretches at the headset and analysis workstation fill the day as you pull meaning out of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Related career-field video—not specific to National Guard 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.
This Army assignment is not a National Guard schedule or service commitment.
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.
These annual examples assume full-time active duty, not part-time drill pay.
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.
National Guard participation also requires component/unit school-seat approval; confirm availability and requirements with your unit.
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 National Guard 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 National Guard describes technical warrant specialties and a separate helicopter-pilot route. Technical options depend on the Soldier's MOS. This branch-level information does not establish eligibility, a state vacancy, or a promotion ceiling for this listing.
Army National Guard warrant career guidanceService-level application reference—not a verified next step for this listing
Guard applicants work with their State, Territory, or DC Warrant Officer Strength Manager on qualifications and a predetermination packet. Approval and required training are separate from promotion; an Army feeder match alone does not establish Guard eligibility or a state vacancy.
USAREC National Guard applicant processSpecialty-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.
Collects and analyzes signal intelligence for homeland security and military operations.
Collection analysts search the electromagnetic spectrum, identify signals worth attention and log what they find with technical precision. Guard drill weekends put you on collection systems in a secure area, or outside setting up antennas and making the equipment behave. Annual training is where the section deploys its systems properly, running them in the field and fixing them in bad weather. The tasking here is national, so activations tend toward federal missions rather than the state emergency work other Guard units do. During the week you are at a civilian job or in class, and the electronics knowledge transfers in both directions.
You learn radio frequency theory, antenna behavior, signal identification and the practical operation of sensitive collection equipment. Search technique is its own craft, and you develop an ear and an eye for what does not fit the background. Field repair of hardware and software, with no vendor on the other end of a phone, builds real diagnostic instinct. Technical reporting standards are exacting, and you learn to record a finding so someone else can act on it. Working with databases and analytic tools rounds the job out with data handling skills that travel anywhere.
Spectrum expertise is scarce, and combined with a clearance it makes you competitive for cleared technical work almost immediately. Defense contractors and federal agencies recruit from this field for signals analysis, system testing and field engineering support. Wireless carriers, spectrum management offices and equipment manufacturers value people who know how radio behaves outside a lab. The data analysis half of the job opens routes into cybersecurity and network analysis if the hardware side stops appealing. Part time service is what makes it work, since the cleared civilian job and the military record build on the same weeks.
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.
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 — National Guard, 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.