Re: Pot -- The Chimneyville Discussion Forum

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Date Posted: 17:51:44 03/13/05 Sun
Author: ot
Subject: Re: Pot
In reply to: dtort 's message, "Pot" on 16:24:00 03/12/05 Sat

>NSA Advised Bush on Eavesdropping
>
>Saturday, March 12, 2005
>
>
>
>WASHINGTON � The nation's electronic intelligence
>agency warned President Bush (search) in 2001 that
>monitoring U.S. adversaries would require a "permanent
>presence" on networks that also carry Americans'
>messages that are protected from government
>eavesdropping.
>
>The warning was contained in a National Security
>Agency (search) report entitled "Transition 2001,"
>sent to Bush shortly after he took office and reflects
>the agency's major concerns at the time.
>
>The report was obtained under the Freedom of
>Information Act (search) by the National Security
>Archive, a private security watchdog group at George
>Washington University (search) that made the document
>public Friday.
>
>The papers offer a rare glimpse into the usually
>publicity-shy NSA, which monitors communications
>involving foreign targets and does code-making and
>breaking.
>
>The document showed an agency making a case to the
>White House that information security should be a top
>priority.
>
>It raised questions about how new global
>communications technologies were challenging the
>Constitution's protections against unreasonable
>searches and seizures.
>
>"Make no mistake, NSA can and will perform its
>missions consistent with the Fourth Amendment and all
>applicable laws," the document says.
>
>But, it adds, senior leadership must understand that
>the NSA's mission will demand a "powerful, permanent
>presence" on global telecommunications networks that
>host both "'protected' communications of Americans"
>and the communications of adversaries the agency wants
>to target.
>
>The document also said the global nature of technology
>leaves government and private networks more vulnerable
>to penetration by enemies.
>
>The report said the agency was concerned that federal
>and private digital networks were now "more vulnerable
>to foreign intelligence operations and to compromise."
>
>The documents indicate the NSA was going on an
>offensive using the new modes of communication �
>mostly digital and able to carry billions of bits of
>data.
>
>It says the agency is "prepared organizationally,
>intellectually and � with sufficient investment �
>technologically to exploit in an unprecedented way the
>explosion of global communications."
>
>NSA was also concerned about the security of its
>parent agency, the Defense Department. In 1999, the
>document says, the department experienced over 22,000
>cyber attacks, most of which had little effect on
>operations.
>
>"During the presidential transition period, a major
>cyber attack is possible," the agency warned. But no
>significant cyber attack occurred then.
>
>Among other elements of the 42-page report:
>
>�The agency said it had tried to transform itself from
>an entity nicknamed "No Such Agency" by dispatching
>its director to public events and reaching out to the
>media. The agency said media representatives were
>invited inside the agency for family day in September
>2000.
>
>�Staffing was clearly a concern. The documents show a
>sharp drop in civilian personnel after the end of the
>cold war. In 2001, there were just over 16,000
>civilians, down from 22,000 in early 2001. At the
>time, 19 percent of the work force was eligible for
>early retirement.
>
>Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, intelligence
>agencies have gone on a hiring spree. The NSA
>announced last April that it intended to hire 1,500
>new employees a year for the next five years, focusing
>on people fluent in foreign languages including Arabic
>and Chinese, intelligence analysts and technical
>experts.

In the best voice of Sgt Schultz on that TV program..." I know nah-sing!"

Sometimes, the news is not news at all. :)

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