The Washington Post reports that from 1984 to 1994, a professor from a university in Nebraska worked with the CIA to produce and print textbooks for schoolchildren in Afghanistan. Thomas Gouttierre, a professor with the University, worked on this CIA-funded program. These textbooks were designed to be militant and encourage children to resist the occupation of the Soviet Union, promoting jihad. As an example of the militant strategy, counting was taught to Afghan children in the books by using missiles, land mines and tanks. By 2002, the U.S. was producing less violent editions of these textbooks.
Becoming a CIA agent in Nebraska is a challenging task that is within reach for those who meet the qualifications.
Fulfilling Requirements to Become a CIA Agent in Nebraska
General Requirements – Before applying for a CIA agent job in Nebraska, applicants must ensure that they fulfill the following requirements:
- Hold U.S. citizenship
- Are 18 years old (or older)
- Can pass a physical exam
- Have not used illegal drugs in the past 12 months
- Can pass a drug screening test
- Can commit to complete two personal, oral interviews
- Can pass a psychological exam
- Can pass a background investigation
- Can pass a polygraph examination
- Can commit to keeping the CIA job secret from family and friends
- Can commit to working independently and within a team
- Can commit to working in changing environments
Education Requirements – Based on a Nebraska applicant’s experience, he or she may obtain an entry-level CIA agent job through one of these programs:
- Professional Trainee Program (PT): Perfect for a younger Nebraskan (usually under age 25) with a bachelor degree but little work experience
- Clandestine Service Trainee Program (CST): Perfect for an older Nebraskan (under age 35) with a bachelor degree and substantial work experience
In addition to a bachelor degree (which may be in any discipline), applicants are expected to have at least a 3.0 GPA. Preferred applicants may have:
- A bachelor degree in finance, chemical engineering, international business, biological engineering, international relations, nuclear engineering, economics or physical science
- Lived or traveled abroad
- Proficient in foreign languages (as of 2014, the languages most needed by the CIA are Russian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Pashto, Dari, Indonesian, Somali, Turkish, Korean, Kurdish and Urdu)
CIA Training Requirements – CIA agent jobs in Nebraska fall under the classification of Clandestine Service. Therefore, Nebraska CIA agents will participate in the Clandestine Service Trainee Program for the first 18 months of their careers. It provides basic and advanced training for new Core Collectors who gather and handle foreign intelligence and the persons providing this intelligence.
There are two career tracks for core collectors. One is the Core Collector/Operations Officer, who is involved in three-year-long foreign assignments to collect and handle intelligence. The other is the Core Collector/Collection Management Officer, who manages core collectors and the intelligence they collect, and may be stationed at CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. or in a foreign nation.