Whats the best Cert for Network Intelligence?

iFayt

Hello! Im in the Air Force and recently got selected for cross training into Network Intelligence and im pretty excited. I talked to a couple of intel guys and they informed me that I could research LANs/WANs/IP Addresses and the like to get a good grasp on it before heading to tech school. I only have about 3 months before tech school and would like to learn as much as possible to help my way through school.

Whats the best Cert to study for? Ive been around computers my whole life and know the basics pretty well however the only cert I ever actually tested for and got was the IC3 Cert. My first guess was to go for the Network+ but is that too simple or should I go for CCNA? Like I said I was told to read up on LANs/WANs/IP Addresses and stuff like that which I know the basics of but would like a deeper knowledge base.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks in Advance!!

JDMurray

Will you be in IT or more of an information analyst role? If IT, the DoD loves Cisco, so the CCENT and CCNA would be a good course of action for a basic understanding of networking technologies.

iFayt

I dont know a lot of information as most of it is Top Secret. I do know my job title is Network Intelligence Analyst so I would assume more of a analyst position gathering information and filtering it. I was just told to try and get a grasp of IP Addresses, IPv4 / IPv6, and basic Networking so when i get to tech school it will be easier to understand.

Would you still recommend CCENT and CCNA?

instant000

I know that the Army publishes its MOS manuals. I would suspect that the Air Force would do the same.

For example, I can find links to the training manuals for many MOS's right here:
STP - Army Doctrine and Training Publications

I tried to find the manual for 1N4X1 on the AF e-publishing web site, but I was unable to. If you're in the Air Force, you might find better luck looking for this same information by consulting with the recruiter and/or whichever school you will be attending.

Here's what I currently have:
(There are probably some similarities, but it's not the one for 1N4X1, which is a different job, but this one is similar, and should give you some idea of the training required.)
http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_pa/publication/cfetp1n0x1c1/cfetp1n0x1c1.pdf

As a member of DoD, you should have access to Safari Books Online, and any DoD instructional manuals. Happy Reading!

(If you must get a cert, then go for the CCENT, but supplement it with these readings, they should help a lot.)

Based on reading up on the MOS description, I'd advise you to read up on this type of stuff, and not necessarily seek out a certification:

theory of radio communications procedures
analytical techniques
organization of the national intelligence structure
Information Operations and Information Warfare
organization of designated military forces
geography
reporting principles and procedures
effective writing principles
directives for handling, disseminating, and safeguarding classified defense information

Sources:
1N4X1 - NETWORK INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS
NETWORK INTELLIGENCE ANALYST SPECIALIST - airforce.com

As I said before, someone in your career field (such as a career counselor, and/or someone at the school you will be attending) would be a great resource for you.

Also, you could consider logging into milsuite (CAC-restricted) and there are forums there that you could utilize to probably get a great answer to this type of query.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: You mentioned classification of materials. That may be true, in that some tactics, techniques, procedures (TTPs) may be classified. While that is true, the more general topics that you would gather should be available for you to review so that you don't show up to school clueless. As I said before, contacting the school might help you with getting the unclassified material that the AF has somewhere for review.

iFayt

Wow, incredible information Instant000. I greatly appreciate all the help. My original plan wasnt really to seek out a CERT but to read about one such as the CCENT you suggested just to get a general knowledge of the topics and hope it would help me when I get to tech school. I will definitely look into everything you suggested. I thank you for the time you spent gathering all the information.

Thanks again!