Also called: Counterdrug Program criminal analyst, Counterdrug Task Force member
Guard members who support police and federal agencies fighting drug trafficking with analysis, aerial surveillance, and training.
Counterdrug analysts build link charts of trafficking networks for police and DEA task forces, fly surveillance helicopters, and teach drug prevention. Every state has a Guard counterdrug program.
Full-time Guard members earn active-duty RMC; part-time drilling members earn drill pay (roughly $4k-$12k/yr for junior enlisted) on top of a civilian job or college. 2026 estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 2 years after high school. Guard membership plus intelligence or analytical training; full-time orders. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Intelligence Studies.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI builds link charts from phone and money data; fewer analysts per task force.
Classes: Statistics, Computer science, Government / Civics.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.