Air Force 1N0X1 Operations Intelligence analysts — now redesignated as 1N0X1 All-Source Intelligence Analysts — spend their careers gathering, analyzing, and presenting intelligence from multiple sources to support operational planning, targeting, and decision-making at every level of command. Whether you worked in a SCIF at Langley, deployed to a CAOC in the CENTCOM AOR, supported ISR operations at Beale or Creech, or briefed senior leaders at a combatant command, your analytical skills, security clearance, and experience synthesizing complex information into actionable intelligence products translate to some of the most in-demand and well-compensated civilian careers available to military veterans.

The intelligence community — both government and private sector — has a consistent shortage of cleared, experienced analysts. Defense contractors cannot hire fast enough, federal agencies have perpetual backlogs of unfilled analyst positions, and the private sector is increasingly recognizing that military-trained intelligence analysts bring a rigor and methodology to data analysis that civilian business analytics programs simply do not teach. Your TS/SCI clearance alone is worth tens of thousands of dollars in starting salary because employers cannot easily or quickly replicate it for civilian candidates — the investigation process takes 12-18 months and costs thousands of dollars that come directly out of the hiring company's budget. The combination of clearance, analytical training, and operational experience makes 1N0X1 veterans some of the most recruitable separating military members in any branch.

What Civilian Careers Match the 1N0X1 AFSC?

The 1N0X1 career field maps to a wider range of civilian opportunities than most intelligence analysts realize. While defense contracting is the most obvious path, your analytical methodology and information synthesis skills translate to several high-paying career tracks:

Defense contractor intelligence analyst. This is the most direct transition and the one most 1N0X1 veterans pursue first. Companies like Booz Allen Hamilton, CACI International, Leidos, SAIC, ManTech, Raytheon Intelligence and Space, and L3Harris hire hundreds of cleared all-source analysts every year. The work is often identical to what you did on active duty — you may even support the same mission, in the same SCIF, at the same base, just wearing different clothes. Defense contractor intelligence analyst positions pay $65K-$110K depending on location, clearance level, and experience, with senior analysts and team leads earning $110K-$140K+. Your TS/SCI clearance with relevant accesses and any polygraph qualifications can push starting offers significantly higher because the contractor does not have to wait months or years for your clearance to process — you can start on day one, which has direct revenue implications for their contract staffing requirements.

Federal civilian intelligence analyst. The CIA, DIA, NSA, NGA, FBI, DHS, and every combatant command staff hire GS civilian intelligence analysts. These positions offer federal benefits, retirement contributions through FERS, job stability, and the opportunity to continue meaningful intelligence work without the military obligations. GS-9 to GS-12 analyst positions pay $55K-$100K+ depending on locality pay, with senior analysts at GS-13/14 earning $100K-$140K+ in high-cost areas like the D.C. metro region. Apply through USAJOBS and intelligence community job boards, and make sure your federal resume explicitly addresses the KSAs and specialized experience requirements listed in each announcement. Use BMR''s federal resume builder to format your intelligence experience properly for federal hiring systems.

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Business intelligence and data analytics. This is the path that surprises most 1N0X1 veterans, but it is one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying career tracks available. The analytical methodology you learned in the Air Force — systematically collecting data from multiple sources, evaluating source reliability and potential bias, identifying patterns and trends across large datasets, and presenting findings to decision-makers in clear, actionable formats — is exactly what business intelligence analysts do, just with market data and business metrics instead of intelligence reports and imagery. Business intelligence analysts earn $65K-$95K, with senior BI analysts and analytics managers earning $100K-$140K+. Tech companies, consulting firms, financial institutions, and healthcare organizations all hire for these roles, and your structured analytical training in evaluating source credibility, identifying analytical bias, and producing assessments under time pressure gives you a meaningful advantage over candidates who learned analytics through a business school program that lacked the rigor and real-world consequence of military intelligence training.

Cybersecurity and threat intelligence. If your 1N0X1 experience included cyber threat analysis, network-focused intelligence, or support to cyber operations, the cybersecurity industry is hiring aggressively for threat intelligence analysts. Companies need professionals who can analyze adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), produce threat assessments for executive leadership, and brief C-suite executives and board members on organizational risk posture — exactly what you did in the military intelligence community, now applied to corporate network defense and enterprise risk management. Cyber threat intelligence analysts earn $80K-$120K, with senior threat analysts and CTI managers earning $120K-$160K+. Your intelligence community background and security clearance make you especially valuable to defense industrial base companies and cleared cybersecurity firms.

Risk and compliance consulting. Consulting firms like Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY hire former intelligence analysts for risk advisory, due diligence, and compliance roles. Your ability to assess threats, evaluate information reliability, and produce structured analytical products translates directly to corporate risk assessment and regulatory compliance work. These positions pay $70K-$100K for junior consultants, with experienced consultants and managers earning $110K-$160K+. The Big Four firms and boutique risk consultancies specifically recruit from the intelligence community because the analytical rigor and structured assessment methodology you bring cannot be taught in a business school classroom.

How Should 1N0X1 Veterans Translate Their Resume?

The 1N0X1 resume translation has a unique challenge: much of your most impressive work is classified and cannot be described in detail on an unclassified resume. You need to communicate the scope, methodology, and impact of your intelligence work without revealing sources, methods, or specific operational details. The good news is that civilian hiring managers in the intelligence community and defense contracting understand this constraint — they are looking for indicators of capability, not specific mission details.

Here are the critical translations: "All-source intelligence analyst" stays mostly as-is for cleared positions, but becomes "multi-source data analyst and information fusion specialist" for private sector roles. "IDB" (Intelligence Database) becomes "intelligence information management system." "DCGS" becomes "distributed intelligence analysis and processing platform." "PED" (Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination) becomes "data processing, analysis, and reporting workflow." "Threat briefing" becomes "executive-level threat and risk assessment presentation."

For classified work, use phrases like "produced all-source intelligence assessments supporting operations in the [region] theater" or "analyzed multi-source intelligence data to identify patterns and trends, resulting in X actionable intelligence products per month." You can describe the analytical methodology, production volume, consumer feedback, and operational impact of your work without revealing the classified specifics. Cleared hiring managers understand this approach and know how to read between the lines of a well-written intelligence resume. Quantify your output: number of intelligence products produced, briefings delivered, analysts mentored, and any recognition or awards received for analytical excellence.

Dominic Landed a Six-Figure Role
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— Dominic, E-7, Marines

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How Important Is Clearance Retention for 1N0X1 Veterans?

Critically important. Your TS/SCI security clearance is arguably your most valuable asset during transition, and letting it lapse is one of the most expensive mistakes intelligence professionals make. A TS/SCI clearance investigation costs $5,000-$15,000+ for an employer to sponsor and can take 12-18 months to complete. When you separate with an active clearance, you are immediately employable in thousands of positions that uncleared candidates cannot access — and employers will pay a premium for that access.

Your clearance remains active for 24 months after separation if you take a cleared position within that window. The clock starts ticking on your separation date. This means you should be actively interviewing with defense contractors and federal agencies at least 3-6 months before your separation date, with the goal of having a cleared position lined up and a start date confirmed before your terminal leave begins. Most defense contractors understand military transition timelines and are accustomed to making offers with delayed start dates to accommodate separation processing. Do not plan to "take time off and figure it out later" if you want to preserve your clearance — that 24-month window shrinks fast, and the re-investigation process is significantly more expensive and time-consuming than simply maintaining continuity of clearance.

Even if you ultimately want to transition to private sector analytics or consulting, seriously consider starting with a 1-2 year defense contractor position to maintain your clearance while you build additional civilian credentials like SQL proficiency, Tableau certification, or a data analytics certificate, and explore civilian career options from a position of financial stability. You can always move to the private sector later, but you cannot easily get a TS/SCI back once it lapses.

What Certifications Strengthen a 1N0X1 Civilian Resume?

The certifications you pursue should align with your target career path. Here are the most valuable credentials for each direction:

For defense contracting and federal positions: CompTIA Security+ satisfies DoD 8570/8140 requirements that many cleared analyst positions list as mandatory. If you do not already have it, get it before separation — it is frequently listed as a minimum requirement on cleared job postings. Beyond Security+, consider the GIAC (Global Information Assurance Certification) suite if you are targeting cyber threat intelligence roles, particularly GCTI (GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence).

For business intelligence and data analytics: SQL proficiency, Tableau or Power BI certification, and Python or R programming skills are the credentials that hiring managers look for most. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate is a solid starting point that covers the fundamentals. If you are targeting senior BI positions, consider the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) certification from INFORMS.

For cybersecurity and threat intelligence: GCTI (GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence) is the gold standard for CTI roles. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) positions you for senior cybersecurity roles. Both certifications command significant salary premiums — often $10K-$20K+ above uncertified candidates — and signal deep domain expertise to hiring managers who are screening large applicant pools for senior cybersecurity positions.

Use BMR''s resume builder to translate your intelligence experience and the career crosswalk tool to explore specific positions matching your skillset.

Related: The complete military resume guide for 2026 and how to list military experience on a resume.