NSA (National Security Agency) was established by Presidential directive in 1952 as a separately organized agency within the Department of Defense (DoD). In this directive, President Truman designated the Secretary of Defense as Executive Agent for the signals intelligence and communications security activities of the Government.

The Agency was charged with an additional mission, information systems security for national security systems, in a 1984 Presidential directive, and with an operations security training mission in a 1988 Presidential directive.

Under a 1986 law, NSA became a combat support agency of the DoD.
 

NSA/CSS.

In 1972, the Central Security Service (CSS) was established by Presidential memorandum in order to provide a more unified cryptologic effort within the DoD. With the establishment of the CSS, NSA underwent a major internal reorganization to become the institution it is today. As Chief, CSS, the Director of NSA exercises control over the signals intelligence activities of the military services.

NSA's Role in the Intelligence Community (IC).

How does NSA fit into the larger U.S. intelligence picture? The nation's Intelligence Community (IC) is actually a coordinated network of people and organizations, all working together to keep decision makers informed and the country secure. The President, as Commander-in-Chief, has the final authority over all intelligence collection and analysis.The National Security Council, a group of appointed senior officials, assists the President in formulating foreign policy and intelligence priorities.
The Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) is responsible for directing and coordinating the diverse activities of all the U.S. intelligence organizations. The National Security Act of 1947 designates the DCI as the primary adviser on national foreign intelligence to the President and National Security Council. 

To discharge these duties, the DCI serves both as head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and of the Intelligence Community (IC). The Intelligence Community (IC) has representation from 13 intelligence agencies, including intelligence functions in the Department of Defense (DoD), Departments of Justice (DoJ), Treasury, Energy, and State, and the CIA. While not a military organization, NSA is one of several elements of the IC administered by the DoD.

The Defense Intelligence Agency provides military intelligence and coordinates intelligence activities of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an independent organization whose primary responsibilities include covert collection of foreign intelligence and conducting counterintelligence efforts abroad.
The FBI ( Federal Bureau of Investigation) is responsible for counterintelligence efforts within the U.S. Inside the NSA.  The NSA/CSS is responsible for the centralized coordination, direction, and performance of highly specialized technical functions in support of U.S. Government activities to protect U.S. information systems and produce foreign intelligence information.

The NSA (National Security Agency) is the nation's cryptologic organization and employs this country's premier codemakers and codebreakers. A high technology organization, NSA is on the very frontiers of communications and data processing. In addition, NSA is one of the most important centers of foreign language analysis and research within the government SlGlNT is a unique discipline with a long and storied past SlGlNT's modern era dates to World War II, when the U.S. broke the Japanese military code and learned of plans to invade Midway Island. This intelligence allowed the U.S. to defeat Japan's superior fleet. The use of SlGlNT is believed to have directly contributed to shortening the war by at least one year. Today, SlGlNT continues to play an important role in maintaining the superpower status of the United States.
As the world becomes more and more technology-oriented, the INFOSEC mission becomes increasingly challenging. This mission involves the protection of all classified and sensitive information that is stored or sent through national security systems. INFOSEC professionals go to extraordinary lengths to make certain that our Government systems remain impenetrable. This support spans from the highest levels of U.S. Government to the individual warfighter in the field.

NSA (National Security Agency) conducts one of the U.S. Government's leading Research and Development programs. Some of the Agency's R&D projects have significantly advanced the state-of-the-art in both the scientific and business worlds. For example, NSA (National Security Agency)'s early interest in cryptaualytic research led to the first large scale computer and the first solid state computer, predecessors to today's modern computer. NSA (National Security Agency) pioneered efforts in flexible storage capabilities, which led to the development of the tape cassette. NSA (National Security Agency) also made ground-breaking developments in semiconductor technology, and remains a world leader in this and many other fields. It is said that NSA (National Security Agency) is one of the largest employers of mathematicians in the United States and perhaps the world.
Mathematicians at NSA (National Security Agency) contribute directly to the two missions of the Agency: they help design cipher systems that will protect the integrity of U.S. information systems while others search for weaknesses in adversaries' codes. Technology and the world change rapidly, and great emphasis is placed on staying ahead of these changes with employee training and development programs.

The establishment of the National Cryptologic School as a separate organization to address the professional development of NSA/CSS employees and assignees is indicative of the Agency's commitment to education. This school not only provides the unique training needed by the NSA workforce, but is also used as a training resource by several elements throughout the Department of Defense (DoD).

NSA (National Security Agency) sponsors employees for bachelor and graduate level study at the nation's top universities and colleges and selected Agency employees attend the various war colleges of the U.S. Armed Forces. Most NSA/CSS employees, both civilian and military, are headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, centrally located between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Its workforce represents an unusual combination of specialties to include: analysts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists, researchers, customer relations specialists, security officers, data flow experts, managers, administrative and clerical assistants, to name a few.

Facts and Figures NSA (National Security Agency) is the single largest employer in Anne Arundel County and one of the largest in the state of Maryland. Human health and the environment are critical concerns to the Agency.

NSA's Environmental Management Services organisation works closely with such groups as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, National Park Service, Maryland Department of the Environment, and the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure NSA (National Security Agency)'s compliance with all Federal, Stale, and Local environmental regulations.
Through NSA's Recycling Program, over 250 tons of newspaper, aluminum, cardboard, and wooden pallets arc collected annually. Historically, about one-third of the total contributions received by the Combined Federal Campaign of Central Maryland come from Agency employees and consistently top the $1 million mark.

NSA (National Security Agency) has long been an award-winning member of the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), a national organization of transportation professionals in the public and private sector. NSA (National Security Agency)'s blood donor program has been in existence for 24 years. Currently, the Agency is the largest contributor in the Chesapeake/Potomac region, donating approximately 7% of all blood received. NSA's hemapheresis efforts have encouraged over 200 participants to make over 1,900 donations. The Agency, along with the Bill Young Bone Marrow Center in Bethesda, co-sponsors bone marrow screenings twice a year. NSA (National Security Agency) has over 1,800 registered bone marrow volunteers, 6 of whom have been called on as donors.

In an effort to support employees with disabilities, NSA's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity opened the Center for Computer Assistive Technology, commonly referred to as CCAT. The Center, which is the first of its kind within the Department of Defense (DoD), was established to provide commercially available assistive technology devices and information resources to employees with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments. NSA (National Security Agency) has been recognized by the State of Maryland for its employees' generous contributions of thousands of volunteer hours to Maryland schools each year - teaching, coaching, and assisting in various ways.

NSA (National Security Agency) has a vigorous hiring program with special consideration for minority and handicapped workers

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Additional Redings:

NSA (National Security Agency)

Department of Defense (DoD)

President Truman

Secretary of Defense

Executive Agent

1984 Presidential directive

1988 Presidential directive

NSA/CSS

Central Security Service (CSS)

Under a 1986 law, NSA became a combat support agency of the DoD

Director of NSA

NSA's Role in the Intelligence Community

Intelligence Community (IC)

President, as Commander-in-Chief

National Security Council

Director of Central Intelligence (DCI)

National Security Act of 1947

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

13 intelligence agencies

Departments of Justice (DoJ)

Treasury

Energy

Defense Intelligence Agency

Army

Navy

Air Force

Marines

FBI ( Federal Bureau of Investigation)

U.S. Inside the NSA

SlGlNT

INFOSEC mission

INFOSEC professionals

U.S. Government's leading Research and Development programs

Agency's R&D projects

National Cryptologic School

colleges of the U.S. Armed Forces

Fort George G. Meade

Maryland

Anne Arundel County

NSA's Environmental Management Services

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

National Park Service

Maryland Department of the Environment

Environmental Protection Agency

NSA's Recycling Program

Combined Federal Campaign of Central Maryland

Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT)

Chesapeake/Potomac region

Bill Young Bone Marrow Center in Bethesda

NSA's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity

Center for Computer Assistive Technology

 

 

 

 

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