When the FBI Comes Calling…®

National Security Agency (NSA) (United States)

History:    In 1949 the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an effort to consolidate the Army Security Agency, Naval Security Group, and Air Force Security Service intelligence operations, created the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) (Joint Chiefs of Staff Directive 2010). During the following years the Bromwell Committee investigated and, in June of 1952 reported, that AFSA was incapable of providing the necessary consolidation of intelligence powers, which were deemed necessary. Responsively, three years after AFSA's creation, in October of 1952, President Truman sent a memo to the Secretaries of State and Defense, abolishing AFSA and creating the NSA (which would be written in that same day as National Security Intelligence Directive No. 9). It would be five more years until the federal government would publicly acknowledge the NSA's existence, although its existence had been suspected since around 1954.

Mission:      Under NSID 9, the NSA was to extend beyond the competences of the armed forces. It was to be bureaucratically housed (physically located at Ft. Meade) within though not considered a part of the Department of Defense. It's most clear mandate for consolidated action would not come until 1972 with NSC Intelligence Directive 6, which instructs the NSA to produce SIGINT and guide all DoD SIGINT activities. Its secondary mission was to provide Information Security (INFOSEC) for the entire federal government (mostly for those member of the Intelligence Community).

Structure:    With roughly 25,000 employees and an annual budget of roughly $3.5 billion, the NSA composes a substantial portion of funding and operations for the intelligence community. Headed by a Director (DNSA), who holds responsibilities not only internally to NSA functions, but also to other members of the Intelligence Community. Outlined in DoD Directive S-5 100.20, the DNSA is charged with five responsibilities:

  1. Exercise SIGINT operational control over all agencies in the Intelligence Community
  2. Provide technical assistance to all SIGINT entities
  3. Produce and disseminate SIGINT intelligence in accordance with the request of the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI)
  4. Submit recommendations to the Secretary of Defense concerning budgetary matters
  5. Proscribe internal directions
Leadership within the NSA also includes a Deputy Director of the NSA (DDNSA), an Associate Deputy Director for Military Support, and an Associate Deputy Director for Operations.
The NSA itself is divided into five directorates:
  1. Plans, Policy and Programs
  2. Support Services
  3. Information Systems Security
  4. Operations
  5. Technology and Systems
A Presidential Transition Team briefing book prepared for incoming president George W. Bush describing the basics of the agency and anticipated problems for the future, has been acquired by the George Washington University National Security Archive. Download here