USA's Agencies -- NSA

NSA

"The majority of our nation's intelligence for counterterrorism, hard targets and support to military operations comes from the National Security Agency /Central Security Service. For the good of the nation, it is imperative that NSA/CSS maintain its cryptologic superiority."

Hello! I'm back with NSA. This is another chapter of USA's Agencies. Any doubt or suggestion, comment or contact me through vanysampayoandyou@hotmail.com

NSA, which stands for National Security Agency (Fig. 1), is a cryptologic intelligence agency that responds to the United States Department of Defense. NSA is responsible for the SIGINT, in other words, it obtain intelligence through signs, including interception and cryptanalysis. It's the biggest core of knowledge in world's cryptology, though rarely disclose any information about their research. Old agency jokes say that NSA means No Such Agency or Never Say Anything.

It's supposedly the biggest security agency of the USA and the world. It's responsible for intercept and analysis extern connection to ensure the security of the country and its allies.

The National Security Agency is divided into two major missions: the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID), which produces foreign signals intelligence information, and the Information Assurance Directorate (IAD), which protects U.S. information systems.

It was created in November 4th 1952. Its headquarters is located in Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S.(Fig. 2)
The annual budget is classified.

Its present Director is Keith B. Alexander (Fig. 3) and its Deputy Director is John C. Inglis.

Their mission is:

"The Information Assurance mission confronts the formidable challenge of preventing foreign adversaries from gaining access to sensitive or classified national security information. The Signals Intelligence mission collects, processes, and disseminates intelligence information from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes and to support military operations. This Agency also enables Network Warfare operations to defeat terrorists and their organizations at home and abroad, consistent with U.S. laws and the protection of privacy and civil liberties."

The strategy to do so is:

Lead an expert workforce for their best efforts to advance and operate world-class cryptologic systems and tools;

Improve performance and integration of their core expertise and missions-exploit, protect and defend;

Sense, make sense of, and securely share electronically gathered information at the speed of global information networks;

Increase measurably the security of national security systems and other critical operations and information when and where needed.

Photos:

Fig. 1    NSA


Fig. 2   Headquarter


Fig. 3   Director Keith B. Alexander


Bibliography:

http://www.nsa.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag%C3%AAncia_de_Seguran%C3%A7a_Nacional

Vany Sampayo