Intelligence reservists support new CG Intelligence PQS By Chief Petty Officer Kevin M. Zwiker, Office of Intelligence Workforce Management (CG-21) When the Coast Guard unveiled its initial personnel qualification standards for intelligence personnel in 2007, the world was a very different place. The U.S. was in the midst of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, social media was just beginning to become popular, and smartphones wouldn’t be widely available for three more years. In addition, the Intelligence Community (IC) was still reorganizing under the newly created Office of Director of National Intelligence, and the Coast Guard was working to support its newly created Intelligence Specialist rating. Therefore, when the staff of the Office of Intelligence Workforce Management (CG-21) embarked on an effort to update and revamp that original PQS from 2007, they knew they would need support to complete the massive project. After hiring contract staff to assist in drafting and editing the new standards, CG-21 identified the additional need for short-term surge staffing to conduct outreach and implementation throughout all levels of the Coast Guard Intelligence enterprise leading up to the rollout of the PQS. An active duty solicitation in support of CG-21 went out to the Reserve workforce, and Cmdr. Thomas Kalisz and I answered that call. We reported to Coast Guard Headquarters in late spring and quickly got to work. Many requirements and tasks from the 14-year-old PQS had become obsolete or redundant. In addition, there had been several policy advances in intelligence collection and dissemination that needed to be trained uniformly across the CGI workforce. The head of CG-21, Capt. Eugenio Anzano, sought to streamline the PQS process while retaining the professional rigor necessary to properly train CGI personnel. We conducted several analyses of the legacy PQS, the proposed changes, and potential impacts to the workforce (both active duty and reservists). The results of these studies helped shape revisions and guide implementation. In addition, in-depth examination of individual line items revealed weaknesses in the legacy apprentice/journeyman/master hierarchy, and the team supported a new two-tiered approach: intelligence professional basic and intelligence professional advanced. As the new PQS were reviewed for approval, our attention turned to how we would communicate the new standards to the rest of the CGI enterprise. Originally, we envisioned a series of small road shows, but we decided to leverage a concurrent opportunity. CG-21’s senior reserve officer, Capt. Karl Hansen, was organizing an intelligence conference with participation from both the active duty and Reserve components. Planning for the joint Intelligence Professional PQS workshop and first annual Reserve Intelligence ‘College’ shifted into high gear in early to mid-summer. The Coast Guard Academy was selected as an optimal site, and interest in both events grew quickly. The first week in August was dedicated to preparing unit leaders and training officers to ensure a smooth transition in the field once the new basic and advanced PQS were released. The second week would address the unique training and qualification 12 RESERVIST � Issue 3 • 2021 The first Reserve Intelligence College visits the Coast Guard Research & Development Center in New London, Conn., including Petty Officer 1st Class Boyd, Chief Petty Officer Kevin Zwiker, Petty Officer 3rd Class Fernandez, Petty Officer 1st Class Nelson, Capt. Hansen, Petty Officer 1st Class Butler, and Lt.j.g. Lowe. needs of Reserve ISs and intelligence officers. More than 45 CGI active duty members, reservists, and civilians from dozens of units gathered in Dimmick Hall at the CGA to finally get a glimpse at the new PQS. The CGA superintendent, Rear Adm. Bill Kelly, and CG-2’s Rear Adm. Andrew Sugimoto welcomed the attendees. During his remarks, Sugimoto acknowledged the Reserve workforce as a “force multiplier” and held a ceremonial signing of the new basic and advanced PQS to highlight the significance of the CGA workshop. The rest of the week provided a unique opportunity for the attendees to work in teams and immerse themselves in the new PQS. Subject matter experts provided in-person and virtual lectures to help attendees understand some of the more complex concepts of intelligence collection and analysis, and afternoon breakout sessions allowed participants to take turns working through line items and scenarios contained in the news standards. The second week was just as important for those specially selected to attend. Building on the college format and taking advantage of the CGA settings, a curriculum was developed to deliver advanced training not typically available to drilling reservists in intelligence billets. The goal of this approach was to stay true to the basic topics of intelligence, such as collection, analysis, and dissemination, but also introduce advanced concepts not typically discussed at IS “A” School or the Intelligence Officer Course. Homework was assigned daily, and the week culminated in a team exercise that required the class to address an emerging intelligence question, apply the collection and analysis concepts they learned, and provide a mock briefing to a decision-maker presenting their findings. Other unique opportunities included a site visit to the Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London and training in structured analytic techniques by analysts from the Intelligence Coordination Center. CG-2 is slated to release the new intelligence professional basic and advanced PQS next month, but fulfilling a role in the implementation of these exciting new training standards has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This work paves the way for increased and enhanced integration of Reserve intelligence personnel in the future. �
