military police/security?

[mythochromos]

I'm prepping for a TTRPG campaign in which one of the NPCs is either military or retired military, and working as a head of security for a site belonging to a secret government agency. Think Delta Green or The Laundry Files. What would be a reasonable minimum age for a person in such a position and what rank would be reasonable for him to hold? Is there anything important that should be in his career history? I'm pretty flexible about details at this point, just want to make sure I get the essentials.

ETA: Just realized I should put some more details on this! It's going to take place in the United States and I was planning for him to be Army because it takes place on the unwatched back corner of an Army base (Camp Grayling), but if he's retired from the military he could have been in any branch.

Comments

[lilacsigil]

If they were a non-commissioned officer with a solid military career (and promotion to Sergeant or Master Sergeant), a minimum would be around 35. However, retirement benefits increase after 20 years service, so 38 is more likely as a minimum, presuming enlistment at 18. I haven't researched officer ages, but someone else might be able to help with that.

[mythochromos]

This is helpful, thank you!

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> What would be a reasonable minimum age for a person in such a position and what rank would be reasonable for him to hold? Is there anything important that should be in his career history? <<

Those are contextual.

The more stable the environment, the older its leaders tend to be. That's because experience and connections help, so will be used if available. But in a high-conflict scenario, people get killed off quickly, so the average age can be much younger. Look at military history and you'll see this: peacetime means slow advancement, wartime speeds it way up.

The more talented a person, however, the faster they can rise. This is especially true for certain special positions, which both attract and seek out gifted individuals. In theory, a secret government agency could tap someone as soon as identified. It's how places like North Korea are building their hacker corps right now. 0_o

I would say, start with the official age of recruitment and add the standard tour of duty. That's a minimum age for retired military veterans without resorting to serious manipulations. Logically, anyone in a leadership position needs experience, which means they tend to be older. But not always. If he served active duty and had to take over because his commanding officer got killed -- especially if it happened several times -- then he's already done that kind of work and would be considered. I'd rather have someone at 22 who's kept a unit alive under heavy fire in Afghanistan than someone at 32 who's all book-learning and corporate contracts. If I expected that the project might attract serious threats, that is.

Re: Well ...

[mythochromos]

Thank you, that's useful.

I'm not trying to make him young, I'm more trying to avoid making him too young. :)

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Oh, that part is easy. Just look up 5-10 people with similar jobs and average their ages. Often there will be a birth year, graduating year, or job starting year cited in bios.