NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States government engaging primarily in cryptology. It is under the administration of the U.S. Department of Defense. The agency was created on November 4, 1952 and has two major directives; the Signals Intelligence Directorate: responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications, and the Information Assurance Directorate: responsible for the protection of US government communications and information systems from similar agencies elsewhere. The NSA has recently been directed to help monitor U.S. federal computer networks to protect them against attacks.

Fast Facts

1. Formed: November 4, 1952
2. Preceding Agency: Armed Forces Security Agency
3. Headquarters: Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
4. Employees: 30,000 (est)
5. A part of the U.S. Department of Defense
6. Director: Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander
7. James Bamford's book Body of Secrets discusses the NSA

Headquarters

The National Security Agency is headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, approximately ten miles (16 km) northeast of Washington, D.C. The NSA has its own exit off the Baltimore-Washington Parkway labeled "NSA Employees Only". The scale of its operations is hard to determine but photos have shown there to be 18,000 parking spaces at the site.

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