How To Become A Defense Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a defense analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Kermit Burley M.Ed.

Defense analysts are responsible for operating and monitoring communications, detection, and weapons systems essential for controlling air, ground, and naval operations. They maintain and relay critical communications between air, naval, and ground forces and implement emergency plans for natural and wartime disasters. They also review and analyze information compiled from intelligence on global and domestic security threats.

Defense analysts earn an average salary of $77,000 annually or $37 per hour. Their duties include analyzing intelligence data, preparing reports, and making recommendations for military training and military spending. They primarily perform analysis of criminal justice law and its administration in defense of an accused individual. They also write analytical reports that include data from military training, departmental spending, and financial trends.

Defense analysts typically hold a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, mathematics, computer science, or other related fields. They are expected to have experience working with and evaluating large volumes of sensitive data. Some employers prefer candidates with active security clearance or are eligible to obtain it for the job.

What general advice would you give to a Defense Analyst?

Kermit Burley M.Ed.

Program Coordinator of Information Technology and Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations, Pennsylvania State University - Lehigh Valley

I would tell any graduate who is just beginning their career to be certain to always give 100% effort and perhaps even just a bit more. You are doing this not only for your supervisor, but for yourself. This skill will eventually become a habit and will ultimately set you apart from your competition. Many graduates new to a job or position will frequently wait to have their supervisor tell them what to do. The truly successful graduate will always seek to solve problems and then do more than what is expected. And believe me, having been a supervisor many times in my career, this high effort person will be noticed and rewarded.

ScoreDefense AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.8

Avg. Salary $86,453

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.5

Growth Rate 32%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 9.64%

Black or African American 9.15%

Hispanic or Latino 8.99%

Unknown 6.09%

White 65.70%

Gender

female 23.80%

male 76.20%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.9

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a defense analyst

Explore defense analyst education requirements

Most common defense analyst degrees

Bachelor's

62.4 %

Associate

16.1 %

Master's

14.4 %

Start to develop specific defense analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Incident Response	13.80%
DOD	9.34%
Windows	6.36%
Tcp Ip	5.41%
Network Security	5.36%

Complete relevant defense analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New defense analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a defense analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real defense analyst resumes.

Research defense analyst duties and responsibilities

Program and troubleshoot system micro controllers, card readers, alarm inputs/outputs, and manage device IP communication.
Utilize Wireshark to perform in depth intrusion analysis from packet capture (PCAP) files.
Conduct INFOCON assessments and collaborate with clients to provide recommendations regarding network security operations on DoD systems.
Review SourceFire events and perform analysis on events.

Prepare your defense analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your defense analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a defense analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Defense Analyst Resume templates

Build a professional Defense Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Defense Analyst resume.

Apply for defense analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a defense analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do defense analysts rate their job?