Although most of the CIA’s operations are never revealed to the public, Ohio has been a direct benefactor and contributor to the agency’s successful missions in the past and at present. One native Ohio resident, Nelson Glueck from Cincinnati, provided invaluable information to the predecessor of the intelligence service during World War Two, allowing the allies to formulate specific plans in Palestine based on his knowledge of local geography. More recently the state has been the site of an alleged assassination of a foreign intelligence chief and a terrorist plot to blow up the Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge near Cleveland.
Providing the necessary information to stay at least one step ahead of national security threats, those interested in learning how to become a CIA Agent in Ohio can begin by meeting the minimum employment requirements.
How to Become a Core Collector in National Clandestine Services in Ohio
In Ohio, candidates interested in a career as a Core Collector with the CIA’s National Clandestine Service can apply to one of the two entry-level positions, depending on age and prior work experience.
The Professional Trainee Program (PT)
Appropriate for applicants between 21-25 years of age with no prior related work experience. Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
The Clandestine Service Program (CST)
Appropriate for applicants between 26-35 years of age with several years of work or military experience. Each candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree or higher to apply for this position in Ohio.
Educational Requirements – Applicants should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, with an interest in international affairs. Candidates need to have excellent interpersonal and communications skills, as well.
Degrees preferred for the Core Collector position include:
- Biological or chemical engineering
- Economics
- International business or relations
- Nuclear or physical science
International Requirements – Each candidate should have previous international experience including having lived or traveled abroad, a cross cultural understanding and proficiency in a minimum of one foreign language, with preference given to candidates speaking, Indonesian, Korean, Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Somali, Turkish, Kurdish, Urdu Pashto, Persian or Russian.
Conditional Application Requirements – Prior to moving on with the application process for the Core Collector position, each applicant is required to participate in two interviews, submit to a medical and psychological exam, undergo an extensive background investigation and a polygraph interview. Consideration for the position is dependent on the candidate being free from illegal drug use for the previous 12 months, which is tested for with medical and security screening.
Steps to Becoming a CIA Special Agent in Ohio
Get a Degree – US citizens with at least three years of exemplary complex criminal investigation experience may apply for CIA jobs in Ohio if they can meet the education requirement:
- A bachelor’s degree in any subject, including:
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Law Enforcement
- Criminal Justice
- Psychology
- Science
- Engineering
- Forensic Science
Submit an Application – When candidates are confident they meet the CIA requirements for hiring they can create an account on the CIA’s personnel site. Applying involves two important forms:
- The application, which solicits information on a candidate’s:
- Certifications and licenses
- Work history
- Expertise
- Military experience
- Knowledge of foreign areas
- The Personal Evaluation Form, covering areas such as:
- IRS tax debt
- Previous drug use and other violations of the law, including downloading copyrighted material
- Peace Corps experience
- Previous polygraph tests
- Security clearances
Participate in Training – Desirable applicants will be contacted by a recruiting officer who will guide them through the application process, which includes:
- Thorough background investigation and polygraph examination
- Examination of possible conflicting allegiances
- Extensive mental and physical examination
Candidates can receive a hiring preference if they have already completed the 56-day Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) at one of several Federal Law Enforcement Centers located across the nation. If not, completing this is a requisite for employment in all CIA careers. The CITP provides instruction in essential areas like:
- Firearms training
- Driving techniques
- Tactical training
- Small team task force simulation, involving role-played:
- Witness interrogations
- Surveillance
- Undercover operations
- Case development
- Courtroom testimony
CIA Operations in Ohio
The recent terrorist plot uncovered to demolish a bridge near Cleveland demonstrates that infrastructure targets in Ohio are on the list of those who would do harm to the nation. One of the main duties of CIA agents is to gather intelligence that could point to possible targets in the United States, including Ohio. Perhaps if the public knew how many of these plots were revealed they would feel differently about controversial laws passed in wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
In other recent news, Egyptian government officials accused the CIA of carrying out an assassination of the country’s former chief of intelligence, Omar Suleiman, while he was receiving treatment at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. The former director of the Egyptian Intelligence Service may have known top secret US and Israeli intelligence that could have compromised either nation’s national security and was therefore assassinated, claimed the head of a leading Egyptian political party. Of course it seems unlikely the CIA would carry out such an audacious security operation, but the fact that it faces such allegations is a testament to how other countries view its capabilities.