Conditions of Employment
Mission Management Career Field
Interns in this career field are introduced to a broad range of DIA activities which enable every phase of the intelligence cycle. DIA mission managers serve as the critical link and agency integrators between the mission functions of Analysis, HUMINT, MASINT, Scientific and Technical intelligence activities, Counterintelligence, and the mission support functions of policy development, strategic planning, financial management, and training and development. As such, mission management interns are exposed to a diverse set of DIA operations and functions and approach their work from a combatant command, directorate, agency, and Defense Intelligence-wide enterprise perspective. Mission managers help DIA to fulfill customer requirements by developing plans and strategies, targeting assessments, and collection management tools and techniques, while evaluating performance and managing risk, in order to optimize capabilities to achieve unity of effort. They manage intelligence capabilities by advocating for the optimal global apportionment and allocation of intelligence resources to support mission readiness. They also evaluate the sufficiency of intelligence capabilities against customer requirements; where gaps are identified, they plan and coordinate innovative development of intelligence architectures, tools, and methods to support performance in all phases of the intelligence cycle.
Career Specialties in this field consist of the following:
Collection Management (CM): Defeat foreign denial and deception! Collection Management officers facilitate the coordination, research, registration/creation, validation, and monitoring of multiple intelligence discipline collection requirements, aligning information needs to predetermined intelligence priorities and requesting advisory or direct tasking of operational, theater, and national-level collection resources. They also provide intelligence support to Defense/Intelligence Community (IC)/National decision makers by establishing, reviewing, prioritizing, analyzing, evaluating, and validating warfighter-identified intelligence requirements.
International Affairs (IA): Represent DIA to allies and foreign partners! International Affairs specialists perform strategic, global, and enterprise-wide intelligence policy coordination for foreign military intelligence cooperation. They conduct substantive intelligence information liaison on very complex intelligence activities with Partner Nations; develop and manage relationships IAW leadership guidance, DIA Strategy, Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) policy, and Joint Staff/Combatant Command (CCMD) plans; provide administration, coordination, and execution of key leader engagements and analytical exchanges; and provide Foreign Disclosure (FD) policy expertise as required to maintain continuity of operations. They act as subject matter experts in OSD policy governing: Disclosure of Classified Military Information (CMI); assign and approve DI exchange and liaison officers; and negotiate foreign military agreements.
Intelligence Operations Management (IOM): Provide support to decision makers! Intelligence Operations Management specialists facilitate the management of multidisciplinary intelligence operations in order to provide the most complete intelligence to the Nation’s decision makers. They develop, coordinate, and exhibit operational knowledge to ensure mission success.
Joint Capability Development and Intelligence Support to Acquisition (JCD&ISA): Help to conceive, design, and develop the future intelligence architecture! Officers in the JCD&ISA specialty carry out activities related to the Joint Capability Integration and Development System (JCIDS), such as capability gap identification and assessment; capability requirements development, documentation, validation, and update; and intelligence budget and program analysis. They synchronize the JCIDS, Service, and Intelligence Community Capability Requirements (ICCR) processes. They assess DoD, Intelligence Community (IC), foreign partner, and coalition Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities across all domains, perform community management of the same, and maintain visibility over issues related to specific programs. They also provide certification of intelligence requirements on all programs transiting JCIDS and facilitate Joint Intelligence Mission Data activities. They assess and analyze DoD and IC ISR architectures and advocates for solutions to user-identified issues. They provide C4ISR interoperability assessment and oversight, particularly with respect to intelligence interoperability and intelligence support to command and control.
Joint Intelligence Planning (JIP): Mastermind intelligence plans for warfighters! JIP specialists orchestrate all intelligence support to military operations and activities led by Joint operational planners (warfighters). JIP experts lead the intelligence plan development and intelligence enterprise support for all war plans, contingencies, and crisis operations. They apply knowledge of the Joint Strategic Planning System (JSPS), strategic planning, joint operations, and the joint planning processes and associated elements of operational art and operational design, to integrate available U.S. and Coalition intelligence capabilities in support of all aspects of joint planning, execution and assessment. They identify priority intelligence requirements (PIRs) to spur intelligence collection and production that are critical for planning and decision makers. They closely collaborate with DoD, Joint Staff, other CCMD staffs, Allies, partners, the Defense Intelligence Enterprise, and relevant IC stakeholders to integrate intelligence support to policy, strategies, and plans. They review and provide intelligence planning input to Joint and IC policies, strategies, plans and operations, as well as meeting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) requirements to continuously assess risk.
Joint Target Intelligence (JTI): Strike a blow for freedom! JTI specialists produce target intelligence (TI) that supports joint targeting, integrate TI into command plans and operations, and innovate TI processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness. They research, characterize, and assess adversary target systems and entities to determine and document critical vulnerabilities that, when engaged with joint lethal or non-lethal fires, help achieve the joint force commander’s objectives. Officers select and nominate targets for engagement, assist in determining the suitability and feasibility of appropriate weapons and capabilities, and assess the effects of joint fires on target systems, targets, and target elements. Officers orchestrate and lead the JTI production process and ensure DoD, Joint, Service, and partner nations are leveraged appropriately to support JTI production. Officers assist in developing and establishing joint doctrine and policy governing JTI standards and procedures and advise joint force commanders, planners, and operators on JTI matters.
2026 National Security Education Program (NSEP) Internship opportunities for the Mission Management Career Field are available in Washington, D.C., Miami, FL, Tampa, FL, Offutt AFB, NE, Fort Meade, MD, Quantico, VA, Honolulu, HI, Scott AFB, IL, and Colorado Springs, CO.