Special Investigations question

[HWFG1]

If I'm planning to attend ROTC to commission as an OSI Officer, what should I major in?

Also, I'm a Junior in High School, and have been discussing military options with my instructors in JROTC, because I want to be an officer in the Air Force, and I asked my SASI about OSI and he didn't know much about it. The Air Force site doesn't supply too much information on it either. I know they're somewhat the equivalent of the Navy's NCIS (which I can assume is exaggerated a bit in the TV show), and that they usually dress in civilian clothes, and do not have to tell you their rank. I know they deal with threats to the Air Force and the like. Other than that, I don't know much about it. What do you guys know about it?

[TruBlu]

Don't know much about USAF OSI, but I know a little about CSI. You will probably want a degree in criminal forensics, as well as biology. Pick up some photography classes also, those are valuable to anyone involved in forensics or LE.

http://www.airforce.com/opportunities/officer/careers/nontechnical/special-investigations-officer/

There's the USAF OSI officer page if you haven't seen that. I can't offer much more, but the next step would be to contact your local USAF recruiting station and set up an appointment to talk about OSI: who they are, what they do, what the availability of the job is, etc.

[HWFG1]

Don't know much about USAF OSI, but I know a little about CSI. You will probably want a degree in criminal forensics, as well as biology. Pick up some photography classes also, those are valuable to anyone involved in forensics or LE.

That definitely helps. Thank you!

[AFCadetSteel]

I am also planning on going to work for the AFOSI once I earn my commission through ROTC at Det 330. I am going to major in criminal justice, with a minor is sociology to prepare me for my job. I am also enlisting in the USAF Reserves and I leave for BMT in July. I am going to be doing Security Forces to get some CI experience

If you have any specific questions about the AFOSI, I know a few Agents, and am actually visiting AFOSI HQ on a field trip soon.

They are the special investigations agency of the USAF. Their mission is,

"To Identify, exploit and neutralize criminal, terrorist and intelligence threats to the Air Force, Department of Defense and U.S. Government. "

There are OSI offices on almost all Air Force Bases.
AFOSI offices report directly to AFOSI HQ on Andrews AFB, Maryland, which reports directly to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

Criminal Investigations
The vast majority of AFOSI's investigative activities pertain to felony crimes including murder, robbery, rape, assault, major burglaries, drug use and trafficking, sex offenses, arson, compromise of Air Force test materials, black market activities, and other criminal activities.

Economic crime investigations
A significant amount of AFOSI investigative resources are assigned to fraud (or economic crime) investigations. These include violations of the public trust involving Air Force contracting matters, appropriated and nonappropriated funds activities, computer systems, pay and allowance matters, environmental matters, acquiring and disposing of Air Force property, and major administrative irregularities. AFOSI uses fraud surveys to determine the existence, location and extent of fraud in Air Force operations or programs. It also provides briefings to base and command-level resource managers to help identify and prevent fraud involving Air Force or DOD resources.

Information Operations
The Air Force is now countering a global security threat to our information systems. Our role in support of Information Operations recognizes future threats to the Air Force, and our response to these threats, will occur in cyberspace. AFOSI's support to Information Operations comes in many facets. AFOSI's computer crime investigators provide rapid worldwide response to intrusions into Air Force systems.

Technology Protection
The desires of potential adversaries to acquire or mimic the technological advances of the U.S. Air Force have heightened the need to protect critical Air Force technologies and collateral data. The AFOSI Research and Technology Protection Program provides focused, comprehensive counterintelligence and core mission investigative services to safeguard Air Force technologies, programs, critical program information, personnel and facilities.

Specialized Services
AFOSI has numerous specialists who are invaluable in the successful resolution of investigations. They include technical specialists, polygraphers, behavioral scientists, computer experts and forensic advisers.

Defense Cyber Crime Center
AFOSI is the DOD executive agent for both the Defense Computer Forensics Laboratory and the Defense Computer Investigations Training Program, which together comprise the Defense Cyber Crime Center. The forensics laboratory provides counterintelligence, criminal, and fraud computer-evidence processing, analysis, and diagnosis to DOD investigations. The investigations training program provides training in computer investigations and computer forensics to DOD investigators and examiners.

Antiterrorism teams
Created out of a need to meet the increasing challenges presented by worldwide terrorism, AFOSI antiterrorism teams are maintained around the globe. These highly trained and specialized AFOSI unit stands ready on a moment's notice to deploy globally to provide antiterrorism, counterintelligence information collections and investigative services to Air Force personnel and units.

[skf_atc]

NCIS pretty much does the same things for the Navy as OSI does for the AF.
I know that they do a lot of AT (Anti Terrorism) things. Most naval vessels have an NCIS agent assigned, especially the big decks (LHAs/ LHDS/ CVNs).

This might sound a bit far of a stretch, but what I would do is contact your nearest AFOSI office and talk to them. It doesn't hurt to ask for information, who knows you might get yourself a mentor.

I know Kelly ATCT at Lackland AFB mentored me when I was in 9th-12th Grade, and even today, my old supervisors still give me advice, and I'm out in the fleet, on the complete opposite side of the world.

[HWFG1]

Those both were a big help. Thanks guys!

I'll probably wait till I begin my senior year to contact them (or maybe even after I get medically cleared to join the military (I'm not doing AFROTC if they tell me I can't join; I've got some hearing issues)), but, I'll keep it in mind.

[wukong]

If you intend to become an officer, then the most obvious thing that you must consider is that you will be an officer. You will have enlisted professionals to do the great bulk of the work that is necessary for the success of your organization. As an officer your job is not to do their work. Your job is to facilitate their work and to manage the operation of many different areas of specialization for a complete and usable product.

Because of the broad areas that OSI must cover, you can see that a degree in Electrical Engineering, Accounting, Law, Management, perhaps even Sodomy (if you are from California) will provide you with the broad areas of expertise that is necessary for OSI to function as an organization.

You are not going to be tasked to routinely gather blood samples. You do need to know the overall methodology of sampling. As an O-1 to O-10 you will probably never know as much about blood sampling as the E-5 assigned to you. Initially as a young O-1 or O-2 you will be assigned to smaller routine casework. If you are tasked to do something routine as blood sampling, you will not be looked at or evaluated on how well you do this tasking as a skill, but on how well you relate and communicate with the E-5 (the expert) that is working the case.

You will be tasked to manage the activities of a team of real professionals doing real activities. Leadership will come when you get targeted professionals to think out of the box to solve the difficult cases.

[cyclonecadet]

Another thing to note is that with ROTC you will not be assigned your AFSC until ~3 semesters before you graduate. You also have to put in a dream sheet with 5-8 different AFSC choices and then the AF will decide where to put you. You will not neccesarily get your first choice.

[AFCadetSteel]

And one big thig about the Special Investigatons career field you have to realize, rank progresses very slowly. The FoA is headed by a BGen, and consists of around

While working, you will most likley not be known by your rank, but as a Special Agent (SA).

This is mainly due to the fact that OSI investigates Air Force members of all ranks, and you can't really have an E-5 investigating an O-10 with them knowing.