National Security Agency

The National Security Agency (NSA) coordinates, directs, and performs focused activities to protect U.S. information systems and to produce foreign intelligence information. It is the nation's primary cryptogic organization and, as such, is a high-technology organization, reaching new frontiers of communications and data processing. The agency is also one of the most crucial centers of foreign language analysis and research within the government.

Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) is a special program with a long history. SIGINT's modern era began during World War II, when the United States broke the Japanese military code and became aware of plans to invade Midway Island. This intelligence helped the United States win against Japan's superior fleet. The utilization of SIGINT is believed to have played a significant role in shortening the war by at least one year. SIGINT continues as an important force helping the United States maintain its superpower status.

Given that the world is more technology oriented, the Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) mission has become challenging. This mission involves securing all classified and sensitive information that is sent or stored by U.S. government equipment. INFOSEC professionals go to great strides to ensure that government systems remain impenetrable.

NSA operates one of the nation's most significant research and development programs. Some of the agency's research projects have greatly impacted the state of the art in the scientific and business worlds. Early interest by the NSA in cryptanalytic research led to the first large-scale computer and the first solid-state computer, forerunners to the modern computer. NSA led efforts in flexible storage capabilities, which allowed for the development of the tape cassette. NSA also made pioneering developments in semiconductor technology and continues to be a world leader in many technological fields.

NSA employs the country's leading codemakers and codebreakers. It is one of the largest employers of mathematicians in the United States and possibly in the world. These mathematicians contribute directly to the two missions of the agency: to design cipher systems that will protect the integrity of U.S. information systems and to search for weaknesses in the systems and codes of adversaries.

Like the NSA, the National Security Council (NSC) plays a vital role in maintaining the safety of American domestic and international interests. The National Security Act of 1947 authorized the National Security Council to advise the president of the United States in matters pertaining to domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to national security. The system is a method to coordinate executive departments and agencies in the effective development and implementation of these important national security policies.

The NSA is chaired by the president. The vice president, the secretary of state, the secretary of treasury, the secretary of defense, and the assistant to the president for National Security Affairs are regular meeting attendees. The statutory military adviser to the council is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the director of central intelligence is the intelligence adviser. Also invited to attend the meetings are the chief of staff to the president, counsel to the president, and the assistant to the president for economic policy. The attorney general and the director of the Office of Management and Budget also attend meetings that impact their responsibilities. When appropriate, the leaders of other executive departments and agencies are invited to attend NSC meetings.

...