Member Spotlight: Philip Fields

Who are the FBI Association of Intelligence Analysts?

Our Member Spotlight series helps you to get to know the FBI AIA a little better.

One of our new members, Philip Fields, recently sat down with us to share his story.

Thank you, Philip, for being a valued member of the AIA and helping us shine the light on the talent of FBI Intelligence Analysts and the expertise across our AIA membership.

Philip, can you tell us about your career with the FBI?

I started out as a Staff Operations Specialist on the Domain squad in the Los Angeles Field Office in February 2012 before transitioning into the Intelligence Analyst role approximately four months later. After finishing the Intelligence Basic Course (IBC) at Quantico, I came back to Los Angeles as an Embedded Intelligence Analyst with the Joint Terrorism Task Force's (JTTF) Terrorist Use of the Internet squad (CT-2). In 2017, I transferred to the Counterterrorism Division where I was the Product Owner for multiple enterprise applications and also designed and implemented advanced analytics and collection capabilities. In 2020, I served as an Intelligence Liaison Officer before transferring to Cyber Division's (CyD) Asia Cyber Intelligence Unit. Shortly after arriving at CyD, I received an office of preference (OP) transfer offer back to Los Angeles, so in October 2021 I returned to the Los Angeles Field Office as a Collection Manager. In mid-2022, I returned to LA's Terrorist Use of the Internet squad as an Embedded Intelligence Analyst. Finally, in February 2025, I entered into the Deferred Resignation Program.

What a fantastic chapter in your intelligence career, and it is wonderful that you were able to experience life as an FBI IA in the field and at headquarters. What made you want to become an IA?

I began my career in public service at 17 by helping start a rural volunteer fire department where I also worked as a firefighter and first responder. After high school, I enrolled as a Criminal Justice major at a local community college before enlisting in the Marine Corps infantry in 2005.

I deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, twice between 2005 and 2007, first as a TOW gunner and then as a Scout team leader, where I solidified my love for the national security mission. In 2009, I was medically discharged from the Marine Corps as a result of a chemical exposure that occurred on my second deployment, but I knew I wanted to continue on the same mission. So, I enrolled in the International Security and Conflict Resolution program at San Diego State University (SDSU) through a special admissions program run by the Marine Corps. While at SDSU, I continued to study Arabic language and culture and worked as a teaching assistant in the religious studies department. I studied abroad in Tanzania at the Arusha Peace Institute where we observed the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Then, I did a food justice internship at a community farm in the Tijuana River Valley.

Throughout my time as a firefighter, first responder, Marine, and while at SDSU, my passion for making the world a safer place continued to grow.

As I approached graduation, I began applying to every intelligence agency in the USIC. Initially, I didn't really want to be an analyst. I wanted to be a case officer, but that didn't happen. One thing I did know was that I didn't want to work in law enforcement. I felt like I'd had enough of that while patrolling in Iraq. Then, a friend of mine from the Marine Corps who was stationed in Europe convinced me to talk to a local FBI Special Agent who worked at the embassy there. After we connected, I applied to the Staff Operations Specialist position as a way to get my foot in the door and get a feel for the organization. After spending a couple of months working with some extremely sharp Intelligence Analysts and with the encouragement of my new boss, I decided I wanted to be an Intelligence Analyst.

At first, I just thought of it as a way to increase my chances of getting in with the CIA, but after working as an Intelligence Analyst in the FBI's counterterrorism program through the rise and fall of the Islamic State I knew there was no better place in the world to do the work I wanted to do.

You worked some really impactful programs. What were the highlights of your FBI IA career?

Between my time with the LA Joint Terrorism Task Force, my role in CTD, and serving as a Liaison Officer, I got to design and implement the strategy behind some of the most impactful and high-profile counterterrorism programs across the government.

What are you doing now?

I'm currently in the deferred resignation program until September 30th, 2025, after which I will officially separate from government service. After entering into deferred resignation, I processed out like anyone else leaving the government before being placed on paid administrative leave. While I am on leave, I am continuing to receive my pay and benefits, but I'm also still bound by the normal rules of FBI employment. However, I'm able to start planning for what's next.

Right now, I am focusing on being present. This shouldn't come as a surprise, but a lot of intelligence professionals don't have a public presence. So, one of the immediate challenges I ran into applying for post-FBI roles was companies wanting to see examples of my previous work. I initially tried pointing them to the bits and pieces of press releases and other public statements from the FBI dealing with programs I'd led and conferences where I'd presented, but without being able to share reports I'd written or recordings of my talks I wasn't progressing. So, I've taken a step back and been focusing on building an external network reflective of my values and interests. I'm working on a podcast with my wife that we're hoping to release later this year. We're hoping to give a voice to people who left government through deferred resignation.

I've been doing a little bit of independent security research to keep my skills sharp, some of which I've been sharing on my blog: https://hax4libre.com

And, I'm starting to explore different business ideas in case I haven't found a job before the end of deferred resignation. One area that I've really been exploring is the idea of a security cooperative. Where I grew up, a lot of public services were formed as co-ops, and I think it could be a really interesting strategy to bring together the talent that has left government recently and give intelligence professionals more control over the direction of their future careers. Mainly, I'm just trying to put myself out there publicly more and let people get to know me outside of government.

Thank you for sharing your experience about taking the deferred resignation. What piece of advice would you give to those considering government service?

Don't rush it. Many people who go to work at the FBI and elsewhere in government aren't recent college grads. That's not to say recent college grads can't make it, but they may benefit from outside experience first. There are a variety of other ways that you can give back to your communities in the meantime. State and local governments are capitalizing on the surplus of public service-oriented individuals, and the non-profit sector is in dire need of revitalization as organizations like USAID have been entirely shuttered.

What about for people, like yourself, who have recently left government service?

There are a lot of former government employees struggling right now. They may be struggling financially as the result of an unexpected reduction in force. They may be struggling with identity after being suddenly pushed out of a lifelong career that defined who they are. Or they may be struggling in a myriad of other unexpected ways. It can seem like as a society we're constantly rushing from crisis to crisis and can't seem to catch our breath. I would urge anyone leaving government service right now to try to find some time to pause before jumping into the next thing. We're faced with some pretty big challenges in this transition phase, but we've always been stronger as a community driven by public service ideals. We have at our finger tips a once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine what it means to be a public servant. We don't have to rush into whatever construct corporate America has created for us. We can take this time to organize and create new opportunities laying the groundwork for future generations of public servants that don't rely on centralized governance or corporate interests.

Those are great points. What are three things you wish you knew when you started thinking about your transition to the private sector?

I'm still figuring this out for myself, and I'm not sure there have really been three surprising revelations but there have been a few disappointing affirmations.

1. Philanthropy and the non-profit sector have shrunk considerably over the last decade, especially in the security sector. Where investments may have previously gone to a non-profit engaged in countering disinformation online, companies are now investing seed capital in profit-driven startups instead, and it's significantly altering the way that missions and objectives are being set. It's more important than ever to research a company and get a feel for its culture before falling in love with the idea of working there.

2. The share of individuals in the security industry with a background in intelligence, defense, or law enforcement is substantially diminished. This isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, but the likelihood of having someone on a hiring panel with shared experiences who can interpret your responses for the rest of the panel is much lower now. This makes preparation and translation of skills all that much more important for applicants coming from government.

3. The job market is even worse than you think, and AI is only making it worse. Hiring managers are frustrated with the quality of applicants who are making it through screening, and qualified applicants are frustrated with their inability to gain traction. Recruiters are doing their best in a difficult situation, but overall, the outlook is bleak. There's substantial opportunity for folks with a strong HUMINT targeting background to apply it in the recruiting field, but I haven't come across a successful implementation of that strategy yet.

How are you adapting to post-FBI IA life?

So far, I've been focusing on adapting the skills I developed in government to the private sector. I've been working on graphic design, audio engineering, and experimenting with different hosting services, while also re-acclimating to writing outside of the intelligence reporting context. Facing the potential for unemployment, I've been working on process improvement strategies to keep costs down without compromising security.

Essentially, I've just been trying to recreate all of the technical capabilities I helped build in government without all of the long term costs and technical debt.

Thank you, Philip, for your insights and service to our country!