The National Security Agency (NSA) is a US federal agency that specializes in protecting and decrypting information. It has been involved in domestic surveillance, leading to debates about privacy. The agency was formed in 1952 to coordinate the collection and analysis of signals and communications. It has two major branches: the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID) and the Information Assurance Directorate (IAD). The agency’s work is highly secretive, and its size and number of employees are closely monitored.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a part of the United States federal government that works specifically to protect information sent from the United States and to decrypt information that may be sent from other countries. Usually, such information is encrypted, and the agency has many employees who specialize in decoding material, also called cryptanalysis. The agency became much better known in the mid-2000s for its expanded role in domestic surveillance of things like phone calls, what some call “domestic espionage.” This has led to serious debate about the degree to which the NSA should be allowed to evaluate communications from private citizens who may have suspected but unproven associations with terrorist organizations.
Unlike other US security agencies, the NSA is limited by statute to analyzing communications in other countries. However, after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the agency was given more power to carry out domestic surveillance. This was not the agency’s initial intent.
The organization was formed in 1952. Prior to this, various military agencies used cryptanalysis to evaluate other countries’ signals and communications, but many experts believed that a general organization was needed so that the data they collected could be better coordinated. A review of the gathering and organizing efforts of several military intelligence units, called the Brownell Committee Report, recommended such an organization in 1951, with the National Security Agency being created the following year.
The agency has several functions. Analyze communications by telephone, radio, television and the Internet; collects information and organizes it; and reports and shares information with the Department of Defense, which is its overarching agency. A branch of the NSA called the Signals Intelligence Directorate (SID) does this work. It plays a vital role in the US intelligence community.
The other aspect of the NSA that has become increasingly important in the computer age is the research and study of how information in the United States, especially classified information, is stored and disseminated. A subsidiary, the National Computer Security Center, also sometimes works with private companies to help them develop the best information systems to protect their customers’ privacy and communications. All work dedicated to information security in the United States is conducted under the second major branch of the National Security Agency, called the Information Assurance Directorate (IAD).
Not all of the work performed by the NSA is known to the public because the agency is able to maintain high levels of secrecy in the context of military operations. The specific number of employees and the size of the operation are also closely monitored. The main building that houses much of the agency’s operations is located in Maryland, and the organization is always overseen by a senior Army officer, usually a lieutenant general or vice admiral. The name of the person who heads the National Security Agency is not private information, and there have been many directors, made by presidential appointment. Deputy directors tend to be civilians with significant intelligence gathering and security experience.
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