Legal Definitions - National Security Agency

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a highly specialized intelligence organization operating under the U.S. Department of Defense. Its core mission involves two critical functions:

• Protecting U.S. information systems: This includes safeguarding sensitive government communications, computer networks, and data from cyberattacks, espionage, and other threats.
• Producing foreign intelligence information: This involves collecting, processing, and analyzing signals intelligence from foreign sources to provide insights into the intentions, capabilities, and activities of foreign adversaries and other entities of national security interest. The NSA achieves this through advanced cryptographic techniques, both in securing U.S. communications and in deciphering foreign ones.

Here are some examples illustrating the NSA's role:

• Example 1: Defending Against Cyber Espionage

  A sophisticated hacking group, suspected of being sponsored by a foreign government, attempts to infiltrate the computer networks of a U.S. defense contractor to steal blueprints for a new fighter jet. The NSA would be involved in detecting this intrusion, analyzing the attackers' methods, and deploying advanced cybersecurity measures to block the attack, expel the intruders, and fortify the contractor's systems against future attempts. This demonstrates the NSA's role in protecting U.S. information systems from foreign threats.

• Example 2: Gathering Intelligence on Foreign Adversaries

  U.S. policymakers need to understand the strategic intentions of a particular foreign nation that is rapidly expanding its military capabilities. The NSA would use its global surveillance and signals intelligence capabilities to intercept and analyze electronic communications, radar signals, and other data from that nation. The resulting intelligence, once processed and interpreted, would provide critical insights into the foreign nation's military plans and technological advancements, directly illustrating the NSA's function of producing foreign intelligence information.

• Example 3: Securing Diplomatic Communications

  During sensitive international negotiations, U.S. diplomats need to communicate securely with Washington without any risk of their conversations being intercepted or understood by foreign intelligence agencies. The NSA's cryptographic experts would design and implement highly advanced encryption protocols and secure communication devices to ensure that these classified diplomatic exchanges remain completely confidential. This highlights the NSA's expertise in "code making" as part of its broader mission to protect U.S. information systems.