National Security Agency: Encyclopedia - National Security Agency

National Security Agency

The National Security Agency / Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) is believed to be the largest United States government intelligence agency. It is responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and for the security of US government communications against similar agencies elsewhere. Established by a U.S. presidential executive order, the NSA works closely with the Department of Defense and is typically directed by a military officer. [1]

Its eavesdropping brief includes radio broadcasting, both from various organizations and individuals, the Internet, and other intercepted forms of communication, especially confidential communications. Its secure communications brief includes military, diplomatic, and all other sensitive, confidential or secret government communications. Despite having been described as the world's largest single employer of Ph.D. mathematicians, the owner of the single largest group of supercomputers, and having a budget much larger than that of the CIA, it has had a remarkably low profile until recent years. For a long time its existence was not even acknowledged by the US government. It is often half-jokingly said that "NSA" actually stands for "No Such Agency" or "Never Say Anything".

Because of its listening brief, the NSA/CSS has been heavily involved in cryptanalytic research, continuing the work of its predecessor agencies which had been responsible for breaking many World War II codes and cyphers (see, for instance, Purple code, Venona, and JN-25).

Headquarters for the National Security Agency is at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, approximately ten miles (16 km) northeast of Washington, DC. NSA has its own exit off of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, labeled "NSA Employees Only". The scale of the operations at the NSA is hard to determine from unclassified data, but one clue is the electricity usage of NSA's headquarters. NSA's budget for electricity exceeds US$21 million per year, making it the second largest electricity consumer in the entire state of Maryland. Photos have shown there are about 18,000 parking spaces at the site, although most guesses have put the NSA's workforce at around double that number; employees are sited worldwide.

Its secure government communications brief has involved NSA in production of communications hardware and software, in the production of semiconductors (there is a chip fabrication plant at Ft. Meade), in cryptography research, and contracting with private industry for items, equipment, and research it is not itself prepared to develop or supply. Again, this continues responsibilities inherited from its predecessors (see SIGABA).

National Security Agency - Agency history

The origins of the National Security Agency can be traced to an organization originally established within the Department of Defense, under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA), on May 20, 1949. The AFSA was to be responsible for directing the communications and electronic intelligence activities of the military intelligence units - the Army Security Agency, Naval Security Group and the Air Force Security Service. However, the agency had little power and lacked a centralized coordination mechanism. The creation of NSA resulted from a December 10, 1951, memo sent by CIA Director Walter Bedell Smith to James B. Lay, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. The memo observed that "control over, and coordination of, the collection and processing of Communications Intelligence had proved ineffective" and recommended a survey of communications intelligence activities. The proposal was approved on December 13, 1951, and the study authorized on December 28, 1951. The report was completed by June 13, 1952. Generally known as the "Brownell Committee Report," after committee chairman Herbert Brownell, it surveyed the history of U.S. communications intelligence activities and suggested the need for a much greater degree of coordination and direction at the national level. As the change in the security agency's name indicated, the role of the NSA was extended beyond the armed forces.

NSA was created in June 1952 by Executive Order of President of the United States Harry S. Truman. ^[2] Truman's Executive Order was itself classified and remained unknown to the public for more than a generation.

National Security Agency - Involvement with non-government cryptography

NSA has been involved in debates about public policy, both as a behind-the-scenes advisor to other departments, and directly during and after Vice Admiral Bobby Ray Inman's directorship.

The NSA was embroiled in controversy concerning its involvement in the creation of the Data Encryption Standard (DES), a standard and public block cipher used by the US government. During development by IBM in the 1970s, the NSA recommended changes to the algorithm. There was suspicion the agency had deliberately weakened the algorithm sufficiently to enable it to eavesdrop if required. The suspicions were that a critical component — the so-called S-boxes — had been altered to insert a "backdoor"; and that the key length had been reduced, making it easier for the NSA to discover the key using massive computing power.

However, the public reinvention of the technique known as differential cryptanalysis suggested that one of the changes (to the S-boxes) had actually been suggested to harden the algorithm against this -- then publicly unknown -- method of attack; differential cryptanalysis remained publicly unknown until it was independently reinvented and published some decades later. The shortening of the 128-bit key used by the IBM submission to a nominal 64, but actually an effective 56, bits is believed to have been a deliberate weakening of the algorithm, making possible an exhaustive search for the key by those with sufficient computer power and funding.

Possibly because of previous controversy, the involvement of NSA in the selection of a successor to DES, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), was limited to hardware performance testing (see AES competition).

NSA was a major player in the debates of the mid to late 1990s regarding US munitions export regulations. Cryptographic software and hardware had long been classed with fighter planes, tanks, cannons, and atomic bombs as controllable munitions.

The NSA/CSS has, at times, attempted to restrict the publication of academic research into cryptography; for example, the Khufu and Khafre block ciphers.

National Security Agency - ECHELON

Main article: ECHELON

NSA/CSS, in combination with the equivalent agencies in the United Kingdom (Government Communications Headquarters), Canada (Communications Security Establishment), Australia (Defence Signals Directorate), and New Zealand (Government Communications Security Bureau), and otherwise known as the UKUSA group, is believed to be responsible for, among other things, the operation of the ECHELON system. Its capabilities are suspected to include the ability to monitor a large proportion of the world's transmitted civilian telephone, fax and data traffic. The system has as one of its most important bases at the nominally RAF-run station at Menwith Hill 54.0162° N 1.6826° W near Harrogate, Yorkshire. Another site, at Sugar Grove, West Virginia, intercepts all international communications entering the eastern U.S., while a site near Yakima, Washington intercepts traffic in the western U.S., according to a December 25, 2005 article in the New York Times.

Technically, almost all modern telephone, internet, fax & satellite communications are exploitable due to recent advances in technology and the 'open air' nature of a lot of radio communications around the world.

Many people oppose NSA's presumed collection operations, assuming that the NSA/CSS infringes on Americans' privacy by spying on the United States' own citizens. However, the NSA's United States Signals Intelligence Directive 18 (USSID 18) strictly prohibits the interception or collection of information about "...US persons, entities, corporations or organizations..." without explicit written legal permission from the Attorney General of the United States. The Supreme Court has ruled that intelligence agencies cannot conduct surveillance against American citizens. There are of course a few extreme circumstances where collecting on a US entity would be allowed without a USSID 18 waiver, such as with civilian distress signals, or sudden emergencies (such as 9/11; however, the USA PATRIOT Act has significantly changed privacy legality).

Evidence strongly suggests that in practice, NSA/CSS implements an end run around legal restrictions on internal surveillance by having partner agencies spy on the citizens of other partners' countries, thereby avoiding illegal spying on their own citizens.

In the past, there have been alleged instances of improper violations of USSID 18 that occurred in violation of the NSA's strict charter prohibiting such acts. In addition, ECHELON is considered with indignation by citizens of countries outside the UKUSA alliance, with widespread suspicion that the United States government uses it for motives other than its national security, including political and industrial espionage. The chartered purpose of the NSA/CSS is solely to acquire significant foreign intelligence information pertaining to National Security or ongoing military intelligence operations.

National Security Agency - Phone taps

On December 16, 2005, the New York Times printed a story claiming that, under White House pressure and with an executive order from President George W. Bush, the National Security Agency, in an attempt to thwart terrorism, had been conducting warrantless phone-taps on individuals in the U.S. calling persons outside the country. ^[3] According to the Times:

News of tapping sparked an outcry from members of Congress and organizations which feel such actions are a violation of constitutional rights. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that "there is no doubt this is inappropriate" and "clearly and categorically wrong" and that he would hold hearings into the matter early in 2006. His call for investigations was echoed by Congressman Rob Simmons (R-CT), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee. "Was the eavesdropping narrowly designed to go after possible terrorist threats in the United States or was it much, much more?" he asked in a statement. Like ECHELON (see above), some feel that the policy is in contrast with United States Signals Intelligence Directive 18 which states: Communications from, to, or about a U.S. person [1 line redacted] may not be intentionally collected without further authorities. Surveillance to prevent terrorism is covered in Title II of the USA PATRIOT Act.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan refused to comment on the story on December 16, claiming "there’s a reason why we don’t get into discussing ongoing intelligence activities, because it could compromise our efforts to prevent attacks from happening." ^[4] The next morning, December 17, the President gave an 8-minute live TV address instead of his normal weekly radio address and confirmed that he had authorized the warrantless searches and phone taps. Visibly angry, he defended his actions as "crucial to our national security" and that the American people expected him to "do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties" as long as there was a "continuing threat" from al-Qaida. The President also had harsh words for those who broke the story, saying they acted illegally. "The unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk," he said. ^[5]

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) called the president's remarks "breathtaking in how extreme they were" in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. He added, "If that's true, he doesn't need the Patriot Act because he can just make it up as he goes along. I tell you, he's President George Bush, not King George Bush. This is not the system of government we have and that we fought for." Feingold was just as harsh in an interview with CNN. "We have a president, not a king," he said. ^[6] Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, added later, "The Bush administration seems to believe it is above the law." Senator Leahy refused to comment when asked why the same foreign wiretapping measures were praised by democrats during the Clinton administration in the previous decade.

Critics of the NYT disclosure, claim that the President had the authority to order such action by virtue of Executive Order #12333 Signed by Ronald Reagan, in 1981. See http://www.cia.gov/cia/information/eo12333.html. The United States Department of Justice opened an investigation in late December 2005 to try to determine the source of the leak to the New York Times.

National Security Agency - Staff

• 1952–1956 Lt. Gen. Ralph J. Canine, USA
• 1956–1960 Lt. Gen. John A. Samford, USAF
• 1960–1962 V. Adm. Laurence H. Frost, USN
• 1962–1965 Lt. Gen. Gordon A. Blake, USAF
• 1965–1969 Lt. Gen. Marshall S. Carter, USA
• 1969–1972 V. Adm. Noel A. M. Gaylor, USN
• 1972–1973 Lt. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips, USAF
• 1973–1977 Lt. Gen. Lew Allen, Jr., USAF
• 1977–1981 V. Adm. Bobby Ray Inman, USN
• 1981–1985 Lt. Gen. Lincoln D. Faurer, USAF
• 1985–1988 Lt. Gen. William E. Odom, USA
• 1988–1992 V. Adm. William O. Studeman, USN
• 1992–1996 V. Adm. John M. McConnell, USN
• 1996–1999 Lt. Gen. Kenneth A. Minihan, USAF
• 1999–2005 Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, USAF
• 2005–Present Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, USA

USA, USAF, and USN are the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Navy, respectively.

National Security Agency - Deputy Directors

• Dec. 1952–Nov. 1953 R. Adm. Joseph Wenger, USN
• Nov. 1953–June 1956 Brig. Gen. John Ackerman, USAF
• June 1956–Aug. 1956 Maj. Gen. John A. Samford, USAF
• Aug. 1956–Sep. 1957 Mr. Joseph H. Ream
• Oct. 1957–Jul 1958 Dr. H. T. Engstrom
• Aug. 1958–Apr. 1974 Dr. Louis W. Tordella, USN
• Apr. 1974–May 1978 Mr. Benson K. Buffham
• May 1978–Apr. 1980 Mr. Robert E. Drake
• Apr. 1980–July 1982 Ms. Ann Z. Caracristi
• July 1982–June 1985 Mr. Robert E. Rich
• June 1985–Mar. 1988 Mr. Charles R. Lord
• Mar. 1988–July 1990 Mr. Gerald R. Young
• July 1990–Feb. 1994 Mr. Robert L. Prestel
• Feb. 1994–Oct. 1997 Mr. William P. Crowell
• Oct. 1997–June 2000 Ms. Barbara A. McNamara
• June 2000–present Mr. William B. Black, Jr.

National Security Agency - Notable cryptanalysts

• Agnes Meyer Driscoll
• William F. Friedman
• Solomon Kullback
• Frank Rowlett
• Abraham Sinkov
• Louis W. Tordella

National Security Agency - NSA encryption systems

NSA is responsible for the encryption-related components in these systems:

• EKMS Electronic Key Management System
• FNBDT Future Narrow Band Digital Terminal
• Fortezza encryption based on portable crypto token in PC Card format
• KL-7 ADONIS off-line rotor encryption machine (post-WW II to 1980s)
• KW-26 ROMULUS electronic in-line teletype encryptor (1960s–1980s)
• KW-37 JASON fleet broadcast encryptor (1960s–1990s)
• KY-57 VINSON tactical radio voice encryptor
• SINCGARS tactical radio with cryptographically controlled frequency hopping
• STE secure telephone equipment
• STU-III older secure telephone unit

National Security Agency - Past and present SIGINT activities

• Ultra
• Magic (cryptography)
• Purple code
• VENONA project
• Gulf of Tonkin Incident
• USS Liberty incident
• USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
• ECHELON

National Security Agency - Notes

1. ^  Memorandum on Communications Intelligence Activities (October 24, 1952)
2. ^  James Risen & Eric Lichtblau (December 16, 2005), Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts, New York Times
3. ^  Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, December 16, 2005, Whitehouse Press Briefing.
4. ^  "US eavesdropping program 'saves lives': Bush" (December 18, 2005), Sydney Morning Herald
5. ^  "Executive decision to spy" (December 18, 2005), Newsday

National Security Agency - In fiction

• The main character of the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey is a former employee of the NSA, a fact that plays into story arcs from 1989 through 1996.
• The 1992 film Sneakers features NSA agents.
• The 1997 film Good Will Hunting mentions the NSA offering Will Hunting a job as he turns them down.
• The 1998 film Enemy of the State shows NSA agents tracking a man, using advanced microphones and real-time video from spy satellites.
• The 1998 film Mercury Rising shows multiple NSA agents working on a cryptography code known as "Mercury." It also shows the attempted assassination of a child who breaks the NSA's unbreakable encryption code that he found in a magazine.
• The 2002 film Die Another Day shows an NSA agent named Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson working with James Bond to defeat a villain.
• In the 2000 Nintendo 64 video game Perfect Dark, Trent Easton, the corrupt head of the agency, uses agents to do his dirty work.
• Season 2 of the television series 24 featured NSA as one of the organizations responsible for preventing the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. Roger Stanton, the fictional director of NSA, is found to be a traitor, and the president ordered his interrogation and torture.
• The NSA also was included as a base for the fictional character Sam Fisher, the main character in Ubisoft's video game series Splinter Cell.
• The novel Digital Fortress by Dan Brown is based mainly in a (ficticious) part of the NSA's facility.
• The 2004 film The Incredibles featured NSA agents protecting the identities of superheroes and supplying them with technology.
• The 2004 film The Forgotten featured NSA agents working in conjunction with an alien race, allowing them to kidnap human children.
• In Jake 2.0 TV series, main protagonists work for NSA.
• In Seven Days TV series, members of a secret NSA project called "BACKSTEP" can send a team member back in time (7 days) in an attempt to avoid a disaster.
• In the 2003 novel WARPATH by Jeffry Scott Hansen the character of Terrance Stewart is an undercover NSA operative who infiltrates a Detroit drug gang.

See also

• Central Intelligence Agency
• Central Security Service
• Defense Intelligence Agency
• Counterintelligence Field Activity (DoD - CIFA)
• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• Department of Homeland Security
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Espionage
• British GCHQ
• Australia Defence Signals Directorate (DSD)
• Skipjack
• TEMPEST prevention of compromising emanations
• Type 1 encryption
• SELinux
• ELINT
• SIGINT
• COMINT

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "National Security Agency", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA, used and available under the GNU Free Documentation License.