Spies, codebreakers, linguists, analysts, and hackers who figure out what adversaries are doing and protect U.S. networks.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Military Intelligence Officer: Leads teams of analysts and briefs commanders on what the enemy is likely to do next. Typical pay $122k.
Cyber Warfare Officer: Leads teams that defend military networks and carry out offensive cyber operations. Typical pay $122k.
Cryptologic Warfare Officer: Navy officer who leads signals intelligence, electronic warfare, and cyber teams at sea and ashore. Typical pay $122k.
Cryptanalyst / Intelligence Mathematician: Civilian mathematician who breaks codes and designs unbreakable ones for the National Security Agency. Typical pay $121k.
Information Operations Officer: Plans how the military influences and protects information, from countering enemy propaganda to deceiving adversaries. Typical pay $122k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Cryptologic Linguist: Learns a foreign language at the military's language school, then listens to and translates intercepted communications. Typical pay $70k.
Cyber Operations Specialist: Enlisted hacker and network defender who conducts offensive and defensive cyber operations. Typical pay $70k.
Counterintelligence Special Agent: Investigates spies, insider threats, and foreign intelligence efforts aimed at the U.S. military. Typical pay $70k.
Human Intelligence Collector: Gathers intelligence by talking to people: interviewing sources, debriefing, and questioning detainees under legal rules. Typical pay $70k.
Cyber Warrant Officer: Senior technical expert who designs and leads hands-on cyber operations. Typical pay $105k.
Electronic Warfare Specialist: Jams, detects, and locates enemy radios, radars, and drones using the electromagnetic spectrum. Typical pay $70k.
DIA / Civilian Intelligence Analyst: Civilian analyst who studies foreign militaries and writes assessments for policymakers and commanders. Typical pay $100k.
Intelligence Analyst: Collects and analyzes information about enemy forces and briefs leaders. Typical pay $62k.
Signals Intelligence Analyst: Analyzes intercepted electronic signals to locate and understand enemy communications. Typical pay $62k.
Information Technology Specialist: Keeps military computers, networks, and radios working, from a headquarters to a field tent. Typical pay $62k.
Military Software Developer: Soldiers, sailors, and airmen who write software for the military in in-house "software factories" or build cyber tools. Typical pay $78k.
Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst: Linguists who fly on reconnaissance aircraft, listening to and translating foreign communications in real time. Typical pay $75k.
Interpreter / Translator (Army 09L): Army soldiers who already speak a critical language like Arabic, Dari, or Pashto and serve as interpreters for units. Typical pay $62k.
Intelligence Systems Maintainer: Installs and repairs the computers, networks, and sensors used to collect and analyze intelligence. Typical pay $62k.
Airborne ISR Operator: Flies on spy planes or crews drones, picking out enemy radio and radar signals and passing real-time warnings to troops and pilots. Typical pay $70k.
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.