The Duties of Air Force Imagery Analysis (1N1X1) Positions (2024)

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Career Paths

Specialty Summary

Duties and Responsibilities:

Exploits and analyzes multisensor imagery in conjunction with all-source intelligence information. Determines type, function, location, and significance of military facilities and activities, industrial installations; and surface transportation networks. Determines type, function, and location of military equipment including ground, air, naval, missile, and electronic orders of battle. Uses multisensor imagery to conduct comparative analysis. Analyzes terrain to determine trafficability, and identify landing zones and defensive fortifications. Analyzes structures of military and industrial installations to determine construction type and functionality. Determines present and future imagery collection requirements. Prepares damage assessment reports detailing structural damage and weapons effects.

Operates imagery exploiting equipment including computer-assisted exploiting and automated data base systems. Constructs queries and retrieves historical files to conduct comparative analysis. Uses automated exploiting equipment to prepare, review, and transmit intelligence reports. Uses softcopy imagery systems to exploit, perform mensuration, annotate, and disseminate imagery products.

Performs precise mensuration of multisensor imagery to determine geographic location, and vertical and horizontal measurements of objects. Uses maps, charts, geodetic products, and multisensor imagery to determine distance, azimuth, and location of targets.

Knowledge. Knowledge is mandatory of: basic and advanced imagery interpretation principles, techniques, and procedures for imagery exploitation, reports, and presentations; Air Force, DOD, and national imagery intelligence collection systems and procedures; techniques of collating, analyzing, and evaluating imagery intelligence; use of maps, charts, grid systems, and interpreting equipment to solve imagery intelligence problems; mosaic construction; intelligence reference materials; fundamental mensuration techniques; distribution of imagery intelligence; requirements for, and sources and uses of target and imagery intelligence data; production of imagery related target materials; and security controls, classifications, markings, and handling restrictions.

Education. Completion of high school with courses in mathematics, advanced English, and computer applications is desirable for entry into this specialty.

Training. The following training is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:

AFSC 1N131. Completion of a basic imagery analysis course.

AFSC 1N171. Completion of the advanced imagery analysis course.

Experience. The following experience is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated: (Note: See Explanation of Air Force Specialty Codes).

1N151. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 1N131. Also, experience performing functions such as imagery exploitation, mensuration, map and chart reading, reporting, and mosaic construction.

1N171. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 1N151. Also, experience performing or supervising functions such as imagery exploitation.

1N191. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 1N171. Also, experience managing, collecting, interpreting, analyzing, and distributing imagery and imagery related intelligence.

Other. The following is mandatory as indicated:

For entry into this specialty, normal color vision as defined in AFI 48-123, Medical Examination and Standards.

For entry, award, and retention of these AFSCs, stereoscopic acuity equivalent to depth perception standards for flying Class I or Class IA with or without correction according to AFI 48-123.

For award and retention of AFSC 1N131/51/71/91/00, eligibility for a Top Secret security clearance, according to AFI 31-501, Personnel Security Program Management, and for sensitive compartmented information access.

NOTE: Award of the 3-skill level without a final Top Secret clearance is authorized provided an interim TS has been granted according to AFI 31-501.

For award of AFSC 1N131 ability to type at a rate of 20 words per minute.

Note: This job requires a Sensitive Job Code- (SJC) of "F."

Strength Req: G

Physical Profile: 333231

Citizenship: Yes

Required Appitude Score : G-64 (Changed to G-66, effective 1 Jul 04).

Technical Training:

Course #: X3ABR1N131 006

Location : G

Length (Days): 120

Possible Assignment Locations

The following information was extracted from posts in our Message Forum, posted there by a member, RDKIRK, who spent 26 years in the 1N1X1 Career Field:

As for being an intelligence specialist, I was a 1n1 (reconnaissance imagery analyst). Basically imagery analysts are the people who study reconnaissance imagery such as from what we used to call "national technical intelligence systems" and can now call "reconnaissance satellites." That's known as IMINT --Imagery Intelligence. One-En-Ones also drive Predator drones.

Contrary to popular opinion, it's not just a matter of looking down on people (although that's a hoot, too), or a matter of how good the imagery is. You see, the "other guys" know we're watching, so the most important stuff is kept hidden. The real challenge of the job is not what you can see, but figuring out what you *can't* see.

Nowadays, we're doing so much with "remote sensing" that it can't really be called "imagery" analysis any more. Think about the kinds of things astronomers using the Hubble telescope figure out about distant galaxies and stars from spectrograhic and other methods, then turn that capability 180 degrees.

That makes it very much like being one of the guys on "CSI," tracking down tiny clues and determining what's happening from things most people wouldn't even notice, or from temperature variations, wind patterns, tonal variations of the ground or grass, and other things we don't talk about. It can be very, very detailed. Sometimes you might spend months--even years--getting the proof for your hypotheses. The best thing is when you can be *predictive*--when you figure out how to tell what is *going* to happen in the future from the clues you see today.

Some people are so good, they can even trace the movements of guerrilla forces through African jungles or tell you what day a certain bomber at a certain airbase will return to depot maintenance. Okay, those guys are pretty ate up, but they're awesome.

There is a kind of community competition at work. USAF analysts are always in competition with the folk at the National Imagery and Mapping Agency--NIMA-- (they don't call their people "imagery analysts," they call them "geospacial intelligence analysts"--woo hoo). The competition is to find something new first, or if you don't find it first, do a better job of figuring exactly what it is and what it means. It's pretty good when you can outdo the NIMA guys in DC. There was a time when the imagery analysts at CIA made a prediction that a female SSgt who worked for me was able to refute because she had done her homework better--even the admiral we worked for (Admiral Jacoby, who's now director of the Defense Intelligence Agency) enjoyed sticking that one to the CIA.

Those guys are pretty good because they get more chance at long-term specialization. But USAF analysts usually know more about a greater variety of things. We all work closely with other intelligence "disciplines," such as SIGINT and ELINT. We do verification of defector reports, search for peace treaty violations, track down drug operations, sometimes even search for missing ships or airplanes. Every other type of intel is considered more reliable if it can be verified from imagery.

During wartime, the job of the 1n1 is to do targeting and BDA (bomb damage assessment). We find what should be bombed, then look at it afterward to determine if it was sufficiently destroyed. If it was missed, we look for what *did* get hit. We have the lists of every target, every missile launched, every bomb load dropped, and we do the "scoring" to figure out where every bomb struck.

You often get advanced information about thiings that about to happen because they always want an imagery analysis first. Some things the rest of the world finds out about, some things they don't. At one point, I could tell you what was going on at hundreds of military airbases around the world on any given day.

Did it for 26 years and loved all of it (and miss it terribly). When they talk about places in Iraq or Afghanistan (or anywhere else, just about), I can still see them in my mind. Intel as a whole is a great field. I'd consider one-en-oh the next runner up, especially if you're attached to Special Forces (they like their intel to "share the experience" a little bit). Intel is always "real world" whether we're at war or not. During the Cold War or during the last ten years watching Iraq, intel is always "real world."

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For your first duty assignment, you'll more than likely end up in a Joint Intelligence Center because that's where most Imagery Analysts are, and they have the greatest ability to absorb and train new troops.

was a USAF imagery analyst for 26 years and loved every minute of it. The early years were fun because different things were happening--especially with the SR-71 and U-2 programs. The later years have been interesting because of the advanced technology of the sensors (notice, I said "sensors" and not just "cameras"). The science is 'way beyond the art at this point, and imagery analysts are just beginning to learn what can be learned from remote sensing.

Something I didn't mention elsewhere were the types of job assignments.

Most USAF imagery analysts will be in the big Joint Intelligence Centers. Most of the combat commands have one, usually at its command headquarters. The Joint Intelligence Center-Pacific (JICPAC) is in Pearl Harbor and obviously has a Naval flavor (this is also considered an "overseas" assignment).

The Strategic Command Joint Intelligence Center (STRATJIC) is at Offutt AFB in Omaha, NE. The Transportation Command Joint Intelligence Center (TRANS-JIC) is at Scott AFB near St Louis. The Central Command Joint Intelligence Center (CENTJIC) is at Tampa Bay. The European Command Analysis Center (JACEUR) is at RAF Molesworth, England (the Brits were uncomfortable calling it an "intelligence" center).

The National Military Joint Intelligence Center (NMJIC, pronounced "nim-jic") is at the Pentagon, however most imagery analysts in DC are now in the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) that was organized iin the late 90s.

All those places do "strategic" analysis, which means most of the work is either supporting the main database or your command's immediate needs. I've also done some stuff supporting special forces in the areas I was in.

As you can see, these are not bad places to be stationed. Imagery analysts also drive Predator drones, so that is where you can do some tactical duty. There are probably some other slots in onesies and twosies scattered around (like a few guys at Hurlburt Field in Florida who support the Special Operations Command). However, it's easy for a 1n1 to bounce from JIC to JIC his entire career.

Even after tech school (which is considered one of the more learning intense), you will have a LOT to learn, and you will keep on learning. After basic techniques, you have to learn the details about whatever particular area you're working, how to use new technical devices and sensors, and you're always, always, always learning new ways to see through new attempts to deceive you.

For instance, in one of my jobs, I was working "Worldwide Air Forces." That meant not just knowing what every military aircraft looked like no matter the viewpoint, but also knowing the characteristics of each military force *and* the individual activities ongoing at each military base. At any given time, I could tell you what was going on at several hundred different airfields, and at a glance I could tell if anything different was happening. I could tell you when a particular bomber was going to be returned to depot maintenance, or when a fighter squadron was about to deploy and where it was going to deploy to.

Guys specialing in naval forces can often identify *individual* naval vessels of different countries because of some unique repair or fitment that's been made on that one ship.

Guys who do ground forces know their areas so well they can tell when guerilla forces have moved into an area just from the number of goats that are (or suddenly aren't) in a farmer's pasture.

Other guys can tell you within hours when a country is going to run a nuclear test *and* tell you what the size of the bomb will be. Everywhere you go, there will be an entire new set of things to learn and keep learning.