Michigan’s CIA special agents work to gather and assimilate intelligence from foreign and domestic sources in order to keep the top-ranking leaders of our government well informed. While they are headquartered in Washington, D.C., CIA agents in Michigan work with other entities to achieve this end. Among these is the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center, a fusion center in the state that coordinates and shares intelligence among various agencies, including:
- The Central Intelligence Agency
- Michigan National Guard
- Michigan State Police
- Michigan Department of Corrections
- Michigan Department of Transportation
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Federal Department of Homeland Security
- Michigan Homeland Security
The collaborative efforts of all of these agencies help to keep Michigan and the United States safe from both internal and external threats.
Requirements for Joining the CIA as a Core Collector in Michigan
In Michigan, there are two entry level positions available for people interested in the CIA’s National Clandestine Service: the Professional Trainee Program (PT) and the Clandestine Service Program (CST). The main differences in qualification for these positions are age and work experience.
Professional Trainee Program – Candidates for this position are usually between the ages of 21 to 25. To be eligible, candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree. Typically they don’t have previous work experience.
Clandestine Service Program – Candidates for this position are usually between the ages of 26 to 35, with 35 being the max age for consideration. Individuals must also hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and have previous work or military experience.
Academic Requirements
- Applicants must have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, with preference given to candidates holding degrees in biological or chemical engineering, economics, finance, international business or relations and nuclear or physical science.
- A GPA of 3.0 during undergraduate studies.
Occupational Skills
- Interest in foreign affairs
- Ability to work as part of a team or independently
- Superior verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to make decisions and take action quickly
International Travel Experience and Foreign Language Knowledge
Candidates need to have proficiency in a second language, with preference given to those fluent in:
- Chinese
- Dari
- Urdu
- Indonesian
- Kurdish
- Persian
- Russian
- Korean
- Pashto
- Somali
- Turkish
- Arabic
Each applicant must also have previously lived in a foreign country, have foreign travel experience and a strong understanding of foreign countries.
Conditional Employment Requirements
Each applicant for an entry level career with the CIA’s National Clandestine Service in Michigan must also complete two preliminary interviews, have a psychological and medical exam, agree to a polygraph interview and undergo a comprehensive background check. Candidates must also be free from any illegal drug use for at least 12 months prior to applying for the position.
Meeting the Prerequisites for Michigan CIA Agent Jobs
Applying for a job as a CIA special agent in Michigan is a long process that begins with investigating the different types of jobs available within the CIA. Each career path has its own requirements. Prerequisites that are common to all CIA jobs in Michigan include:
- U.S. citizenship
- Age 18 or older
- No contact with foreign governments or representatives in past seven years
- No illegal drug use in past year
- Complete background check
- Pass polygraph test
- Pass physical examination
- Pass psychological examination
- Not discuss the CIA job with friends or family
Education and Experience Prerequisites – CIA agent jobs in Michigan carry additional prerequisites. These include three years of experience in criminal investigation plus a bachelor’s degree in any field.
No one educational path can prepare a candidate to become a CIA agent. However, some educational disciplines can help more than others. Classes and majors in the following areas are recommended for those who wishes to become a CIA agent:
- Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis
- Business Intelligence
- Information Security and Intelligence
- Intelligence Operations Studies
- Criminal Justice
Training for CIA Agent Jobs – Training is a big part of becoming a CIA agent in Michigan. Since most new CIA agents have had criminal investigation experience, they will likely already have completed the first part of the training, which is the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP). This is held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia. It lasts for almost two months and teaches instruction and techniques in surveillance, case management, physical techniques, firearms, vehicle handling, physical evidence and interviewing.
The second portion of training for new Michigan CIA agents takes place in Reston, Virginia at the Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis. This 18 month long training continues to build on the basics learned in the first part of the training and includes instruction in counterintelligence, foreign languages, analysis and more.
The CIA and Michigan in the News
In January 2012, Iranian courts convicted a Michigan man who was visiting the country of being an undercover CIA agent, and subsequently sentenced him to die. Amir Mirzaei Hekmati was a former U.S. Marine who, his family said, was just visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested. As of January 2014, Hekmati was still being held prisoner in Iran. Representatives from Michigan are working to try to secure his release.
In January 2011, a man from Grand Rapids, Michigan was sentenced to four years in prison for attempting to get a job with the CIA in order to spy for China. Glenn Shriver lived in China in October 2004 and became friends with Peoples Republic of China (PRC) intelligence officers. It is said that Shriver agreed to return to the U.S. and apply to become a CIA agent or to try to secure another federal intelligence job with the intent of passing national defense secrets to his Chinese friends. Part of Shriver’s guilty plea involved his admittance that he lied on the CIA employment questionnaire and stated that he had no contact with a foreign government in the past seven years. The PRC also paid Shriver $40,000 for applying to become a CIA agent. Currently, the FBI is investigating the case further, while Shriver spends four years in prison for the crime.