"The real strength of this organization is the diversity of our workforce...bringing together people from different backgrounds, different job experiences, different education, different language capabilities, and different cultures...for fresh ideas, fresh perspectives, and new solution sets."
Director Mark Clookie
Megan, Intelligence Specialist
I joined NCIS as an Intelligence Specialist or analyst in 2004 after having interned with the death investigations division and the threat management unit. Analysts provide a variety of support to operations and investigations. We help identify leads and gaps in an investigation and assist with connecting the dots. As an analyst, my job is to look at the whole picture, identify the missing pieces, and ultimately answer the question 'so what?' after analyzing the data. I've worked side by side with Special Agents on a number of high profile cases. It's exciting work...no two days are the same.
I think that you have endless opportunities as an analyst with NCIS. I've been able to work on a broad range of operations and investigations in the criminal, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence arenas. I also had the opportunity to earn a Master's degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College. Not only that, but this job has provided great opportunities to travel and work abroad. I took a year-long assignment at the NCIS field office in Bahrain in the Middle East, and was also part of a special task force which traveled for three weeks to Kuwait.
The most rewarding part of the job is knowing that I'm doing important work in the service of our country. My job at NCIS provides a unique opportunity to identify and prevent threats to our military.
Peter, NCIS Supervisory Special Agent
My dad was an NCIS agent, so I knew about the agency early on. I graduated from college, worked as analyst for Bloomberg News for a few years, then joined NCIS as a Special Agent in 2002. I've lived and worked with NCIS around the world. I started my career in Norfolk working general crimes investigations -- domestic violence, larcenies, assaults, death cases. I also had the opportunity to participate in several protective service detail assignments while there. Then I was assigned for over a year to our Middle East Field Office in Bahrain where I worked the full range of NCIS investigations, including providing support to U.S. Navy ships during port visits.
I followed up with a deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where I worked with the DoD Criminal Investigation Task Force and interviewed detainees. That was a truly eye-opening experience. Then I came back to the U.S. and worked in the fraud unit and served as the Major Case Response Team leader at the Washington DC Field Office. From DC, I deployed to the Horn of Africa for four months, where I did some counterintelligence work. During that time I also was forward-deployed to the Comoros Islands, working with the U.S. Embassy in Madagascar and supporting the Navy Seabees in their work building schools for the local community. Finally, I transferred to the Hawaii Field Office where I am now the Supervisory Special Agent for the General Crimes Squad.
One of the great things about the agency is that you never know what to expect; it's always different day to day. One of my most memorable experiences was providing Maritime Interdiction Operation support to the M/V Feisty Gas investigation off the coast of Somalia in 2005. M/V Feisty Gas was a petroleum tanker that had been seized by pirates. We flew out from Bahrain on short notice, boarded several U.S. Navy ships, and finally debriefed the crew that was held hostage.
There's a ton of opportunity in this agency. The professional and personal experiences I've had, the people I've met from all over the world, and the training I've received all make NCIS a unique and rewarding place to work. I've also been given a lot of responsibility early on in my career.