NSA on 10-17-2012 ursuantto E O 13526 MDR Case # 5477 W DUVI W D11 £'l3 lDWVU D 15W r fiJ U ffi l J ffi 86-36 ffi lil iJ f lil iJ 11 iJ1IJ 2nd Issue 1990 A PERCEPTION OF THE TECH TRACK ' • • 1 NSA CSS AND COUNTERNARCOTICS·l 1 8 N C Gerson 9 THE NEED FOR INTELLIGENCE • HELP WANTED • • • • • David Hatch 10 PLANNING FOR THE MILLENIUM 1 I 13 REASSIMlLATION • • • • David L Beckner 16 EXCELLENCE THROUGH E V A L U A T I O N 18 BULLETIN BOARD • • • • • • • 20 CRtJCIBLE MOSTAR • • • • • • I 21 RAW TRAFFIC AND REMOTE COLLECTION • 27 EXPERT VLSI DESIGNER HIRED FOR THREE DAYS 28 REBUTTAL TO 'A NOTE ON THE LINGUIST PROBLEM1 • • 29 SHORT-ORDER TlUIHSLATION • • • 31 BALLOON-INT CIVIL WAR STYLE • • • I 33 LETTERS • • • • • • • • • •• •• 36 1 1 I I I nIlS BO€UMBN'f €ON'fAINS €OBB VORB MA 'ftJRIAt CbA§§If IED BY P 5AfC5SM 123-2 DECLASSIFY ON Origi 8tiflg Ag@ncy' O@te'il ii alia Required NOT RELEASABLE TO CONTRACTORS DOCID 4012037 eONF'lDBN'I'IAL P L 86-36 Published by P1 Techniques and Standards VOL XVII No 2 ·IL- - - - - - PUBLISHER Ed't WIIILE-U-WAIT 2nd Issue 1990 BOARD OF EDITORS lor I I 963 -· 11 0 · 3 · L Computer Systems 1 5163 1103 Cryptanalysis 1 963 S23S Cryptolinguistics 1 634382 Information Resources I 963-32S8 Information Science 1 963·J456 J972 2491 Information Security Intelligence Reporting 1 963 S0 6Sl language I 963-3057 Linguistics J 963 4814 Mathematics 1 63 5566 Puzzles I 963-6430 Science and Technology 1 r963 4 S8 Special Research Vera R Filby 968 $M3 Traffic Analysis 1 1963 4 351 Classification Officer Bardolph Support Macintosh Support Illustrator I'I _ 9 63-5463 _ 963-3369 tJ lnthispel'iCJ of budget cuts management will l ehai p ytol rn that throughout the Agency rnan y analy ts have devised clever ways to make everyminl fte count Take CRYPTOLOG's parent organization for example that puts out working ai fs tblockbuster proportions Printing them is a 6hor because you have to be there to monitor the di§aster-prone process in case the computer freezes upor the printer jams What to do while-u-wait The tradition here is to plan ahead to proofread or scan the Read Folder or eat lunch U This is but one modest example of many Pride of place for productivity while-u-wait surely goes to a linguist of our acquaintance who a couple of u 968-7315 963 3360 To submit articles or letters by mail send to Editor CRYPTOlOG P1 NORTH 2N01S If you used a word processor please include the floppy or cartridge with your hard copy with a note as to what computer operating system and softwa're you used via PLATFORM mail send to crises ago was wont to wait for his wife when her outfit was jumping and his was not Idly he picked up a grammar book on an offbeat language that piqued his curiosity Yes you got it While-he- waited the many months of that crisis he gained sufficient proficiency to become certified C-eCO A more exotic w ile-u-wait chore was cryptlg@bar1cOs undertaken by a voice linguist listening to search bar-one-c-zero-five note no '0' via ALLIANCE send to PlBROWN note all caps attn CRYPTOlOG Always include your full name organization' and secure phone also building and room numbers As some of you well know it requires intense concentration to listen through the static for tiny segments of intelligence that crop up at long intervals between the music of the spheres There's not much you ca n do but sit there and listen hands idle But this analyst found that you can do needlepoint Keeping hands 'busy in a way For Change of Address mail name and old and new organizations to -Editor CRYPTOlOG Pl NORTH 2N01S Please do not phone that does not occupy the mind· serves to lessen the tension of intense concentration and so permits longer stints without a break Contents of CRYPTOlOG may not be reproduced or U And there's no doubt that readers can disseminated outside the National Security Agency without contribute stories that top these the permission of the Publisher Inquiries regarding reproduction and dissemination should be dire ted to the Editor All opinions expressed in CRYPTOlOG are those of the authors They do not represent the official views of the National Security Agency Central Security ServiCe emU'IDEN'f'IAL HtL 'lt DLE'Vlh G9MIN'F CHANNELS ONLY DOCID 4012037 SB GHl JT A PERCEPTION OF THE TECH TRACK J GGO The sessions re- FOUm The technical fS track program is an is- vealed a widespread cynicism sue ofconsiderable con- about the existence and fu- cern to career Agency ture of a technical track analysts Despite all the Most analysts see no real recent activity there is P L 86d6 progress in the development skepticism about the of the track or appealing ad- viabilityofthe program vancement opportunities For that reason P16 and the DDO Language Advisory Committee have been looking at various aspects of the issue They have conducted several rap sessions with senior linguists in grades 14 and 15 to gain their point ofview about the technical track and technical language careers The following remarks focus on linguists but apply equally to the other DDO cryptologic and analytical disciplines 2nd Issue 1990· CRYPTOLOG· pagel SECRE'I' EO 1 4 c nA Q VlA CQJ 4 g rr CW RSTQ ¥ 36 P L DOCID 4012037 86-36 SECRET U Individuals opt to remain in their technical spe- fore the pool from which language STEs may be cialties because of their technical professionalism drawn is very small a fact that adds to the frus- their devotion to duty and their sense of mission tration skepticism and 'cynicism felt by the rather than as a result of the Agency's efforts to more junior linguists who would aspire to tech- promote a technical career system nical careers U The linguists with whom I met agreed that the FOUO One might ask why linguists are not technical career situation specifically promotions to being promoted in greater numbers since lan- GG-I4115 has considerably improved over the past guage has been classified as a critical skill by several years and they are encouraged by that But NSA for years Do promotion boards not think a closer look at the current crop of senior linguists linguists deserve to be elevated to the senior reveals that many achieved success only through a grades Do they fully understand the role of detour into management It is true that the tech- linguists and the skills required nical health of the organization benefits if people opt -'- to return to the technical track after reaching grade 14 or 15 But the message is not ignored by junior technical employees looking toward advancement U Also while one is detouring technical expertise is temporarily perhaps permanently lost so that others must be recruited and trained to fill the void D 1 6tf6 The present dearth of GG-15 linguists Pessimism is heightened by the fact that there is in part the inevitable consequence of a situ- will be very few open STE billets over the next ation that prevailed two decades ago when it several years We need a healthy tecluiical track was not possible to go beyond a 12 as a pure program to ensure that we make the best use of linguist That grade ceiling has been attributed those that become available to the misperception of a few senior managers that anyone can translate given a dictionary THE PROSPECTS FOR LINGUISTS In fact one senior manager considered language FOUO When we look at the present distribution of work to be of a clerical nature So linguists left Senior Technical Experts in the Agency we find that the field to seek advancement a disproportionate number are in mathematics en- WHAT LINGUISTS DO gineering physical sciences and data systems Our first reaction is concemthat the analytic specialities U Though the managers mentioned above are are not sufficiently represented in the STE ranks I long gone and let us hope their perceptions propose that the problem for linguists at least with them it might be well to pause here to con- actually begins at grade 1 - siderjust what it is that linguists do 15 1 I There- ---' EO 1 4 c P L 86-36 2nd Issue 1990' CRYPfOLOO page 2 S CK T HMffiLE rlA COl Htff Cib NNI3L5 ONLY DOCID 4012037 EO 1 4 c P L 86-36 SECRET DESIGN FOR A TECHNICAL TRACK P6UO An effective technical track m ust provide a clear and objective set of qualification standards that will permit technical careerists to know what is expected of them in order to qualify for advancement to the senior ranks including STE It will have to produce a record that demonstrates unequivocally that sufficient numbers of ' J people can reach the senior grades without substantially departing from a technical career path Moreover the advancement for qualified technical experts must be as rapid as it is for those who choose other career paths such as managementcum-staff That is to say a technical track program cannot be viewed as truly successful when people are not being promoted to the senior grades including Senior Technical Expert until It requires years of dedicated study much ofit they are in the final years oftheir 30-plus-year self-study and experience to master a rare lan- career guage Aside from language skill per se the linguist must also become fully knowledgeable of the FOUO At present the numbers do not add up to target its organizations personalities history convince smart young people to choose a technical customs lexicon communications and so on in career over one in management I order to be a truly effective SIGINT linguist FOUO These skills do not come easily or quickly To become a true professional a linguist requires considerably more dedication and effort ' I Realistically oppor L - I than is generally assumed The effort is so great tunities to become grade 15 are more severely in some instances that other less challenging and limited than is obvious because each discipline more rewarding avenues appear to offer more has its own technical track I appealing opportunities That is why it is so necessary to establish a viable technical track program in DDO IWhen cohfronted with ----I L - these numbers it is little wonder that m any technicians opt for management The fact that some of them eventually will opt ' for various reasons to return to the technical track after a number of years should hot comfort us a great deal 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 3 SECRIH II-MIDLE VIA COMI lT CIM H'ffiLS mlLY EO 1 4 c P L 86-36 DOCID 4012037 SECRE'f U While I would not suggest total parity or a PROMOTION TO STE quota system among occupational specialties or between the technical andmanageriallstaff tracks I do believe the Agency and especially DDO must give greater attention to senior level promotions to technical careerists We want to encourage analysts to devote as much of their careers as practicable to their specialty If but half of all past technicians had remained in their specialty this Agency would be in a remarkable state of technical health U The manner of determining who should be selected or promoted to the senior technical expert ranks needs to be critically reviewed We generally agree that fellow technicians recognize fairly accurately who among their ranks stand out from the crowd and who deserve to be senior technical experts Currently the Senior Technical Review Board does not act autonomously nor does it conduct a true zero-based review of all U Though the Agency points with justified pride eligible GG15's To a very large degree consid- to a low attrition rate vis-a-vis other government eration ofindividuals proceeds as for all other agencies the figures reflect attrition from the Agency promotions i e they are organization- Agency not the internal attrition from the analytic ally initiated and are processed in a linear fash- specialties into staff and management positions ion While this is not counted officially as attrition the effect is about the same that is loss of highly trained resources for which the Agency spent substantial sums to recruit hire and train and for which additional sums must be spent to obtain re- U But the selection process should reflect the notion that senior technical experts are in the truest sense all-Agency assets At present organizational constraint causes candidates to be placed in priority order regardless of the areas of placements technical expertise they represent Promotion A PROPOSED SOLUTION U The time has come for the Agency to give serious consideration to a new way of thinking about the grade structure of a technical track The traditional pyramid bottom-heavy with fewer and fewer people as one ascends in grade must give way if not review boards are in their tum constrained to review the candidates in a similar priority order At no time is consideration given that this or that technical area needs to be represented by an appropriate array of experts Nor do managers necessarily know how their respective technical peers view these candidates to an inverted pyramid then certainly to a structure in which the ranks of the upper grade levels U Candidates for the STE ranks should not be are somewhat larger than the lower ones If our processed linearly but rather in parallel espe- efforts to establish a technical track be truly suc- cially when they represent different areas of cessful we should expect to have most people re- technical specialization And since senior techni- main in their technical speciality for their entire cal experts are technical resources available not careers of30-plus years We must hold out a rea- just to the immediate manager who nominates sonable promise of promotion to the senior ranks them there should be no concern as to the ex- for the most deserving And if the programs suc- perts' grade vis-a-vis that of their administrative ceed the numbers of deserving should similarly managers increase 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 4 SKCRET ItANBLE VIA CO Hf'ff CItAf'if'ffiLS ONLY DOCID 4012037 SECRET U To overcome some of these problems with rec- FOUD Besides the thorny issue of technical ommending and promoting people for Senior Tech- track positions there are several other problems nical Expert I strongly recommend that potential which those who are designing technic'al track ' candidates for Senior Technical Expert be identi- programs must address One of these has to do fied and ultimately recommended for promotion vHth transportability Developm ent of technical by their peers with management playing if it track programs in DDO is proceeding along group must play at all a minor role in the process and in some cases office lines For most linguists High-level promotion boards should be composed a group-level program does not pose severe barri- of fair representation of the organization's tech- ers t their mobility The problem arises when nical specialties and where possible members linguists who have attained a given status in one should be drawn from the STE ranks Each board organization then choose for career diversification should be empowered to conduct zero-based re- and enhancetnent to seek an assignment in a views and should not be constrained by organiza- different organization tional recommendations The chairpersons of the career panels might play an active role in the peer U With the exception of the recently published review process for Senior Technical Experts G Group Technical Track Program none of the extant programdocuments deal explicitly TECH TRACK POSITIONS Vith the question of transportability of qualifications and POUD Designating positions in a technical track program seems to be a very sensitive issue There technical status although there seems to exist a tacit understanding that would grant the transferee some credit towards meeting technical track is a desire not to lock ourselves into the con- criteria in a new organization straints of graded positions as is the case for the management track I support this notion gener- GGGO In many SIGINT language environ- ally Although we do not view them as such in ments multilingualism is an important factor in reality most staff positions especially in the op- operational success Therefore a viable technical erations elements are technical positions We track program must accommodate multilinguists have reporters collectors data systems analysts and provide the necessary transportability of cryptanalysts traffic analysts all who provide status to encourage them to stay in the technical technical support and advisory services at office track and group levels throughout DDO And there are 'c also a few staff positions in any organization es- DIVERSITY FOR TECHNICAL TRACK pecially at the group level that warrant being es- LINGUISTS tablished at the rank of STE In the language U Another concern for the designers of technical career specialty for example each group has es- track programs as well the tech trackers them- tablished a senior language advisor Regardless selves is how much diversity in career is accept- of where these individuals sit organizationally the able and desirable It is unreasonable to expect scope of their responsibilities and the impact of that all individuals will be content to remain in their activities on the organization could well the same job for an entire career The problem is warrant the rank of STE identifying appropriate diversifying experiences 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 5 I SCRE'f' HA H3LE VIA C01tHtfF CItANlftS OI67i DOCID 4012037 SECBET for each technical career Both individuals and be taken lightly American business has been organizations benefit from a certain amount of faulted for its short-sighted views on long-term interdisciplinary experience investments and profits I fear that Agency man- 0 000 Diversity comes in several forms diversity ofapplication within the specialty In the case of language there are options such as voice vs non-voice language teaching staff assignments performing language research career panel tasks and so on assignments that emphasize associated cryptologic disciplines such as intelligence reporting traffic analysis cryptanalysis collection acquisition and application of different languages supervision ofother linguists especially in language-related SIGINT activities U But these experiences must not so diffuse technical expertise in the language so as to render that proficiency inadequate to perform highly skilled technical language tasks agement often· takes the same view when it comes to managing human resources U It is difficult maybe impossible at times to look at particular individuals in terms of their future potential and development when the press of international events demand all of our attention today Being able to do it however is a trait that differentiates a good manager from a manager in name only Planning for the future is not just a corporate responsibility it is the personal one of every manager POUO Management must afford technical trackers additional opportunities and challenges for growth With experience and training technical trackers become technical leaders This means involvement in the technical management of targets participation in advanced and specialized language study wherever offered active participa- U The individual is usually the best judge of tion in professional associations both inside and when a career change is needed when burnout outside the Agency and interagency activities occurs when boredom begins to set in when associated with the target or language and oppor- enthusiasm wanes when creativity falters when tunities for travel These are but a few incentives productivity drops Even when an individual that could be offered to technical trackers They knows what the change ought to be doing some- must be valued and used for the technical knowl- thing about it is another matter edge and experience they possess and can bring to bear on the accomplishment of the organization's THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT mission U This is where management plays a crucial TECHNICAL LEADERS IN LANGUAGE role in the success of the technical track program By being sensitive to the needs of the individuals FOUO Besides knowing their language in depth as well as of the organization managers can steer and breadth technical leaders possess a critical careers in directions that will optimize the indi- knowledge of the targets associated with the viduals' potential and improve the chances that language or languages The most valuable asset they will pursue a rewarding technical career oflong-term technical track analysts is target This is a management responsibility that cannot continuity With it discrete and seemingly unre- 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 6 SECRE'f' W V b CQ 41 1 I' CRA 1sE Q b¥ DOCID 4012037 SECRET' lated arid uirimportarit facts often separated in feature of program Therefore in the context of time become intelligence nuggets · This is subtle' techriical reers' at NSA we should ¢ore properly ' a d intangible benefit'that comes when p ople ' refer to technical career development or pathing ' ' remain productively associated with targets over syst m for no two career paths will likely be the long periods of time same yet the end results may be quite similar FQYO Technical leaders have the ability to per- U Career pathin takes into consideration the form professional quality research ahdto produce strengths and weaknesses of both the technicians working rods that advance the technical health of andthe organization Technicians are presented their specialties' They must 8Iso be able to impart with career options that most ffec h ly iJll d to junior analysts the knowledge and experience to their career obj ciive • TJi e'c Ptio and ll actions to effect' themare di a dacteihn they have gained Above all senior technical language experts are superior analysts and report- in consultatioll cond he tii ge S ' 7hO' in ers in their own right They can analyze incomturn have the authorityt catrY opi' th r t' with plete material and derive meaningful information pathing plan from it and then convey it with facility precisely ' ' ' • ' ' ' ' in correct English FOUO The Agency now possesses a fair number U The Agency will have t dQsofile belMightenc of linguists in the senior grades who are well on ing thatis their way to meeting the standards of senior technical expert It remains to the DDa and its man- afact oflife being di c ss di every corner of the buildings Proteeting 6ur i ye triient in technical tal n t'isessential Simply put yv agers and the ency senior promotion boards to need effective flexiblepro ms to etain the' ' ensure that these talents are properly recognized skills we need to su'pport 01H' uniq e mi sion ' ' v J - and used While not the only solution to encouraging technical careers an effective DDa technical track program should goa long way in stemming the hemorrhaging of technical talent in DDa Ndtice to Subscribers ' PATH vs TRACK U When discussing technical track careers we generally refer to a technical track program as the administrative infrastructure under which such careers are to be managed The notion of a program suggests a certain structural rigidity with terms and conditions that an individual must satisfy in order to progress to the next level Track suggests a unidirectional movement with little or no opportunity for the diversity discussed The di tribution for thiS'issue refleCts' changes received by COB 5 July 1990 earlier Flexibility is not generally viewed as a 2nd Issue 1990 ' CRYPrOLOG ' page 7 SECRET tf1tNf Lr fA eOI llfft' CttA H'fffiLS ONLY ---------------------- - - - - - ---- - - - DOCID 4012037 N S A I C S Sand CO U N T ERN ARC 0 TIC S F L 86-36 L - jl POS SAO' CD As most of you know NSA has recently become heaVily involved in the US Government countemarcotics effort We have establis ed the following guidelines for the classifica tion of countemarcotics-related information Q CD The fact ofNSAlCSS association with the US Government counternarcotics efforts is UNCLASSIFIED U The fact of an association between DEA Cus toms US Coast Guard FBI and NSAw ith counternarcotics is UNCLASSIFIED Q o teT The fact of a SIGINT effort against international narcotics traffickers is CONFIDENTIAL ii -te7 The'association of NSAlCSS personnel by name organization oflocation with a SIGINT countemarcotics mission is CONFIDENTIAL Q 2nd Issue 199 l CRYPTOLOO page 8 eeNFIBE Tll b EO 1 4 c P L 86-36 - - - --- DOCID 4012037- SECRI 't' St'6 N C Gerson R606 climbed back to 1011 In short SIGINT not weap S€f' Duringthe Korean War the USAF's F-86 onry provided the margin for victory Sabre jets had a kill ratio of 10 1 over the North Korean MIGs It was widely believed that this U We also might recall that during the battle of superiority indicated the better reliability and Midway aircraft from distant carriers sank a fighting capabilities of US aircraft This belief major portion of the Japanese fleet whose location however was erroneous The superiority resulted was derived from SICINT These eX 1mples amply from the knowledge provided by SIGINT This illustrate that the outcome of any battle strongly ratio was possible only because the US intercepted depends upon knowledge of the adversary's locaand read instructions to the pilots broadcast by tion strength and intentions The mightiest navy the North Korean control tower on High Frein the wrong ocean the strongest air force in the quency HF The information was sanitized and wrong region or the best army in the wrong place given to the pilots as radar plots The US pilots cannot win a battle knew where to fly to intercept the North Korean MICs U Indeed battles both military and diplomatic can be won with lesser strength if adequate infor ut in 1952 North Korea shifted shifted mation is available Further intelligence is n ces­ the tower broadcasts to Very High Frequency sary to a nation's political well-being as well as to VHF There was no equipment in the field to its military success It is the function an intelliintercept these frequencies Without the intergence service to ensure that its government is not cepts the kill ratio dropped to 2 1 The USAF surprised It should anticipate the movements found the losses unacceptable so there were and trends of other nations to enable its governstand-downs and limited operations until we could ment to chart its own course and to take advanship the necessary receivers to the field The tage of opportunities as they arise official reason given for curtailing US fighter activity was weather U We must never forget the old Chinese adage When the VHF receivers were deployed The commander who will not give silver for information should not be a commander Funds for weaponry can be cut drastically but funds for intelligence can be cut only at our peril North Korean air traffic again could be intercepted and US Sabre jets could again be directed to the North Korean flight paths The kill ratio 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 9 S CRJ T SPQ UAUOLE YM COMH'ff CiMNtffiLS may DOCID 4012037 - orh' 'e 'UREL IlII ft· 'stn$l' Coli The Center for Cryptologic History is soliciting your help in obtaining information about past events The information is needed· for a series of studies about events crises projects and programs that have marked turning points in the deVelopment of NSA and the cryptologic community Some of the studies will focus on our role in national and international affairs others will illustrate how cryptologic information has been used in support of decision makers and still others will be case studies designed to benefit a new generation Especially in the development of cryptologic policy and practice we hope to offer lessons learned which means including particulars of problems failures or negative effects topics and to reconsider the relative priority of· the studies to be produced We believe that each of you has had personal experiences or knows of such matters it is very likely that every individual is in a position to contribute an obscure fact or a unique perspective The form and wording of the questionnnaire are not meant to be delimiting factors but rather as prompts to your memory Do interpret the questions broadly and do feel free to add any information you consider worthy of our attention This will be read by human beings Our purpose at this initial stage is simply to collect as much information as possible then collate it put it into manageable form and calculate relative priorities for study We are also very interested in documenting the often unsung but crucial support or housekeeping functions which enable NSA and Any length will do from War and Peace the cryptologic community to stay in business to a paragraph classified appropriately but which often fail to get the recognition they deserve Thank you D9 has inherited a provisional listing from earlier compilations But we need your input to compile a more broadly based working list of 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG f6ft OfFICIAL US page 1J O TLY DOCID 4012037 Remember to classify appropriately Name of submitter Organization ' Present 'Position Building ' Secure phone Please return your responses classified as needed to Dr David Hatch 093 SAB 2 Door 22 He can be reached on 972-2355 1 Can you recall a situation in which you wished you had a historical background study to reference or consult 2 In your current operations would you find a historical study of use If so on what subject or of what nature 3 What other events projects or programs might provide beneficial case studies if documented by the CCH or what support functions should be studied Your responses might be cast in the form That was the first case of That was the best example of We had to change our policy or practices after Our work on was highly regarded by We learned the most from New cryptologic employees ought to know about 4 Are there individuals on board or whom you recall from the past as worthy of special study as role models or as heroes and heroines of the business that you would wish to call to our attention If so in what capacity knowledge or files about the instances listed in your response 2nd Issue 1990 • CRYPTOLOG • page 11 FOR OFFIGIl L USE ONLY DOCID 4012037 Remember to classify appropriately 5 From your own personal observation what event s project s or program s do you believe best illustrate the support NSA or the cryptologic community has provided to military or civilian decision makers This support could be to local- or nationallevel consumers or even in the international arena 6 Conversely what event s provide an example in which NSA or the cryptologic community failed to perform well Why do you believe that to have been the case 7 If you have personal knowledge of the cases listed are you willing to be interviewed by staff of the CCH concerning them or to guide us to other sources 8 What present or former NSA or SCE personnel can also provide' personal knowledge or files about the instances listed in your response 9 If you have personal files photographs or mementos of the cases listed in your response are you willing to lend them or otherwise make them available to staff of the CCH 10 From your own observation what event s would you say had the most profound effect on internal NSA or cryptologic community organization policy or practice 2nd Issue 1990 • CRYPTOLOG page 12 POR OPPI6IAL eSE 9 'fLY DOCID 4012037 P L 86-36 PIClI I Ir g for tl e Wtllel 16 1 D you can add days months or years to a date Most date processing computer programs can add 90 days to 861212 and get 870312 or to 871212 and get 880311 notice that they are different because ofleap year But not all programs can add 90 days-to 991212 and get 000311 the year 2000 is a leap year Subtract ing days poses the same problem in reverse o There will be a problem with processing dates in the year 2000 unless it is fixed by then That is because programmers are allowing only two digits for the year and assume that the century will always be 19 At present there are two principal ways we store dates in computer files One is ordinal and has the form YYJJJ where YY is the last two digits of the year and JJJ is the number of days since the beginning of the year For example February 4 1988 would be 88035 The other is the calendar date in the form YYMMDD where YY is the last two digits of the year MM is the month and DD is the day Both forms are convenient for sorting The form of the date itself is not a problem It's when you try to do something with the date in a program add or subtract days compare it to another date or convert it to another form that presents a problem you can compare dates If you use a straight nwneric compare as most applications do then 871231 is less then 880101 which is right but 991231 is greater than 000101 which is not what we want This situation can adversely affect sorting data in chronological order D you can convert dates from one form fa another Converting between the ordinal YYDDD format and the calendar YYMMDD format is not a problem because the century is asswned in both forms One sidelight the year 2000 is a leap year but the year 1900 wasn't So the programs that divide the year by four to see ifit is a leap year will convert dates in the year 2000 properly but not dates in the year 1900 Notethat there ire some special cases that conversion programs will not handle properly unless they are fixed such as a conversion program that assumes the twentieth century it will not properly convert dates in the twentyfirst century to a form that includes the century 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 13 fOR OffICIAL tJsr t I L DOC I D Itc1rQ e ostprograms will convert 050505 defines the action to be performed into May 5 1905 not May 5 2005 Also there are some subroutines that will return the day of the week when given a date For example 880614 will convert to Tuesday As most of these routines assume the twentieth century they will not return the proper result when given a date in the twentyfirst century I can be S for system date and'time n for an ordinal date or calendar date T for an ordinal date or calendar date followed by a time HHMMSS B for base date and optionally base time seconds since midni M A can be C for convert to base date Here are a few applications that may not work in the year 2000 if date processing and calculation routines are not fixed o A for add S for subtract purge data on the basis ofits age Depend- ing on how the routine is written all data may be The results except for difference will always be the base date the ordinal date the calendar date the day ofthe'week the month day year the clock time HHMMSS and the base time For an action ofD the result will be the number purged o sort data into chronological order o o calculate a person's age D for difference between two dates input run payroll on Friday of days and seconds difference One way programmers can avoid some of these problems is to use generalized date-handling macros most of which should be fixed by the year 2000 One such macro BDATE written for The Conversational Monitor System CMS on IBM VM systems accommodates the twenty-first century BDATE uses a base date number representing the number of days since January I 1900 This is compatible with the REXX function-REXX is a programming language for the IBM VM systems-DATE C except that on January 1 2000 DATE C will revert to 0 while BDATE will continue BDATE which can be called up as a CMS command a REXX function or a REXX subroutine has the form BDATE IA inputs STACK where I defines the form ofthe input date s and A For ordinal date or calendar date inputs BDATE a 'ss es a range of January 1 1950 base dl lte 18263 to· December 31 2049 base date 54787 So 880220 would be February 20 1988 and 100220 would be February 20 2010 This will allow calculations that span the centuries and will return the proper day of the week for those days that are in the range This technique is good for most applications though some adjustments are necessary for others For example ordinal or calendar dates are not adequate as input to routines calculating ages of people born before 1950 The birthdays must be converted to base date The base date technique is one method of fixing For example the command BDATE DA 871225 10 means add 10 days to December 25 1987 The result would be BDATE YYMMDD YYJJJ DAY MONTH DA YEAR HHMMSS BTIME 32145 880104 88004 MONDAY JANUARY 04 1988 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 14 FOR OFFICfA L USE ONLY oooaoo 00000 4012037 c lata files that contain ordinal or calendar dates as sort fields Since a base date is five digits long the ordinal or calendar date could be converted to base date and stored in the same space as the ordinal or calendar date and the parameters of sort routines will not have to be changed Another option is to add the century digits to the date i e 19880613 for an calendar date This would require that the file be expanded by two bytes and that the sort parameters be changed to accommodate the expanded field The base date concept used by BDATE is only one technique for solving the date processing dilemma Programmers must analyze each problem individually and select the best solution for that problem Most systems have a time-of-day clock register that programmers can use for date time pr cess­ ing IBM 370 series computers have a 64-bit clock incremented so that 1 is added to bit position 51 every microsecond The 370 assembler and the various compilers each have macros that access this clock The epoch date and time when the clock register would have been zero has been arbitrarily set by IBM to January 1 1900 at 0000 With this epoch the high-order bit was set on May 11 1971 at approximately 1157 a m Unless IBM changes the epoch the register will '· overflow sometime in the year 2043 The problem is not a difficult one to solve but it is pervasive Most data processing involves a date somewhere Programmers need to review and correct current processes and also ensure that new systems use date processing techniques that will still work in the twenty-first century Question What is the date of the first day of the twenty-first century Answer January 1 2001 not 2000 The year 2000 is the last year of the twentieth century Oops ------------------_ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- ----------------- To the Editor Than you for printing my letter in VOL XVII No 1 of the Cryptolo9 I note however that you twice hanged the spelling of the word pejorative to perjorative lh1 1S comm n mistake but it is a mistake nonetheless there slmply 15 no Duch word s perjorative P L 2nd lssu 1990 CRYPTOLOG· page 15 FOR OFFICMb HSEi ONbY 86-36 DOCID 4012037 It's that time of year again the myriad lists of reassimilees assault all management levels within the Agency We are asked once again to review exhaustive runs of people who are returning from overseas some of whom have assignments most do not etc Not infrequently during this Springtime ritual we are admonished from on high by senior mimagement to give special preference to overseas returnees In worst-case scenarios where a significant number of returnees have not been assigned back at Headquarters elements are given quotas of how many returnees they will have to absorb Despite DDA's considerable ef· David L Beckner GOS forts to manage this problem it doesn't work it hasn't worked in decades and the casualties provide for rotating personnel from field assignofthe system are those good people who have served ments to positions at NSAlCSS Headquarters this Agency overseas Maybe it's time we took a difThe system is administered by M3 M4 the Execuferent approach tive Assignment Panel the Senior Personnel Board and the Key Component s The essence of Consider for a moment who are these people who the system is geared to identifying positions for are returning home They are some of our best returnees a few months before they are scheduled and brightest analysts collectors staffers linto rotate home Overseas individuals are allowed guists or computer types who have risked life to indicate their preferences ofjobs Then family harmony and career to serve this Agency through some mysterious alchemy returnees' overseas Clearly there are benefits to serving preferences are hopefully married with Key overseas but each PCS no matter how glamorous Component's offers and vacancies and the returnbrings with it the trauma of uprooting family stresses on relationships kid's education etc The ees are informed that they will be given xxx job when they return to Headquarters biggest hardship surrounding an overseas tour is Reassimilation the known prospect of having to come back sometime Most ifnot all of our folks who volunteer for overseas duty do so with an open mind aware that somewhere downstream they will have to face the agony ofthe reassimilation process Yet our people still volunteer to go overseas and the record will show they serve us exceptionally well while detached from Headquarters This Agency couldn't function nearly as effectively as it does without our overseas civilians ' Why then when it is so difficult to get some of our best people togo' overseas in the first place do we mistreat them when it's time to come home Let's look at the reassimilation process as it now exists We have on paper a system whose objective as stated in PMM 30-2 Chapter 390 8 is to Good in principle poor in practice Many marriages of the type described above are made all too often no offers are forthcoming from the Key Components and the returnees arrive at Headquarters with no position nailed down and they join the ranks of the untouchables those lower class persons who literally walk the halls looking for awaiting employment Based on my own personal experience of having been overseas in the 1960's and 1970's and having returned twice I can tell you our predecessor systems didn't work very well Based on the number of reassimilation lists routinely floating across my desk and my own T A of the number of GS-I5's sitting in the cafeteria at 10 00 in the morning I've concluded our present system doesn't work either 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 16 FOR OFFICI-AL USE ONLY 4012037 So who's at fault and how can we make the system work better First the employees the returnees probably are not at fault They in good confidence took the overseas tour and expect to be re-employed upon their return It's not their fault the present system doesn't work Then its not M3's fault-they have a system which they administer honestly and they really do try to do what's rightfor the employees and the Agency at large • I contend the fault lies with management that mysterious anonymous faceless force within the organization that drives the whole system Why is it management's fault There is a relatively obscure label attached to each overseas position that is called mission element or ME Each ME owns so many overseas jobs is responsible for filling those positions gets a vote on who is selected to fill the positions gets to vote on promotions of overseas assignees on their ME's and who if all else fails sometimes has to place absorb returnees once the rest of the reassimilation process has failed Big responsibility Lots of power Why then is the ME the port oflast resort for returnees M3's most recent PML No 15 27 Oct 1989 states clearly that all returnees who are not assigned to a HQS position will be assigned administratively to their ME and that the returnee's specific position will be determined by management ofthe organization i e ME to which the returnee is assigned Finally somebody is responsible Agency on a ME's billet The employee also makes a contract to take the tour to complete it successfully to g t paid etc M3 makes a contract to represent the employee while overseas with pay promotion consideration etc L Group makes a contract to ship the employee's household goods overseas and then back home It goes on and on Why not force management contractually to send people overseas on its billets AND to have a position waiting for them upon their return from overseas My specific proposal is that management at the precise moment it agrees to sending an employee overseas on its ME billet also must commit in writing what that person's job will be within that same organization upon their return This approach would solve several problems It would get M3 and M4 out f the lpop they don't belong anyway other than administratively it would stop the present reas imila­ tion process charade we go through each Spring and most importantly it would require management to do its jolr- manage its human resources It would take some better planning on the part of management but that's what managers get paid big bucks for My system is not infallible I kriow Some employees wouldn't be happy with their return assignment most returnees I've known over the years expect to be DIDIR upon their return it My suggestion a different approach is to reverse doesn't account for growth by the employee this whole process make management do its job in while overseas COSC changes extensions the first place and place the burden sigh on man- promotions or organizational changes within -' agement of placing returnees BEFORE they ever go the ME at Headquarters And maybe my apThat's right BEFORE they go overseas Consider proach won't work with SCEs or STEs perhaps for a moment that the ME gets one of many vote on the Eexe utive Assignment Panel and the Senwho get's selected for overse s tours That implies ior Personnel Board need to stay involved at that the ME is the gaining organization that the that level But all of these adjustments could be ME knows the qualifications of the person being worke out to management's and the employee's ME has selected forthe overseas tour and that benefit while the employee is overseas and I for enough confidence in the individual to say yes on one could avoid the annual reassimilation letting the individual fill the ME's overseas billet bugaboo ritual the Or look at this proposition another way View it as a contract We management or the ME make a contract with the employee to go overseas for the Our people and our reputation as a superb employer deserve better-maybe a new approach is worth trying 2nd Issue 1990 ' CRYPTOLOG ' page 17 FQ QFFICJl 1 J t 1SE OPiL¥ DOCID 4012037 CONFIBEN'ftA L P L 86-36 EXCELLENCE - throu gh EVA LUA T'LON em The Evaluation Division E74 of the National Cryptologic School NCS has the job of monitoring the adequacy relevance and currentness of training Its job is an enormous 'one In 1989 there were over 700 courses including 200 Learning Center and Extension Services courses delivered at NCS and at fifteen sites throughout the world Added to this is responsibility for the quality of cryptologic training furnished by the Service Cryptologic Elements SCEs whose evaluation methodology they oversee This challenging task is carried out by 11 people who represent a mix of skills both operational and academic which includes a professional statistician and two professional educators as well as analysts linguists collectors training officers and a computer scientist U Ever-dwindling resources have led the Evalu ation Division to devise smart ways of accomplishing the job with both macro and micro approaches to obtaining continuous feedback on courses Course evaluations are based in part on responses to machines-scannable questionnaires one for each learning center or extension courses and three for each platfonn course • instructor rating • course rating Each form also has a Comments section for freeform input in narrative form U An optical mark scanner scans the forms and automatically enters the data into the database on FLAGSHIP It flags courses which fall below an acceptable level of performance Special software compiles statistics in seconds and allows the Evaluation Division to make various comparisons For example students' ratings of a course can be compa ed with supervisors' rating Similarly student ratings of the same course taught by different instructors can be compared This scheme also permits comparison of ratings by demographic background such as civilian compared with military or experienced compared with inexperienced Above all it provides verification that courses are meeting their stated objectives and surfaces trends in all categorjes over several iterations of the course -u OtfG1-Data from student questionnaires is only • training assessment for student's super- one part of the evaluation mosaic Another macro visor 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 18 CQ1-lFIBEN'fiAL aCID 4012037 CONFIBEN'f ML approach is the curriculum review-perhaps the and the communication between NCB and opmost effective way we have of ascertaining how well erations Users are also asked to address future a particular course of study is doing There have trends in their target that may affect the curbeen 35 curriculum reviews since the procedure was riculum under review instituted in 1982 Curricula are selected to be U Then the Board draws up recommendations reviewed on the basis of their importance to the which it briefs orally to the DDET followed by a Agency's mission and on the date ofthe last review written report Though the DDET is not obliged Scheduled for review in FY90 are Arabic Cryptto act on these recommendations past history analysis Signals Analysis and Computer Security shows that about 85 percent of them are actu U The curriculum review focuses on all courses in ally implemented With DDET approval recoma particular discipline Planning begins about six mendations are written up as action items and months before the actual review takes place with the monitored by the Evaluation Division establishment of a working group composed of two U As a result of past curriculum reviews or three E74 evaluators and representatives of the many far-reaching changes have been effected teaching department whose curriculum is being which have had an influence not only on what reviewed the NCS is teaching but on how it is being taught For example the Management Curricu U First the issues are identified often with the lum Review in 1989 encouraged the establishhelp of users-Agency elements that are recipients of the training After the issues are determined the ment of a management curriculum for mid-level working group decides on the competencies and per- managers to provide the kind of training which previously had been reserved for senior-level spectives that should be represented on the Review Board An important criterion for Board members is managers and executives-t e MD-300 series that they understand future training requirements U The Education Curriculum Review in 1988 inherent in technological advances and changing was instrumental in more than doubling the target information The Board should have the number of coursesin the ED curriculum experience and credibility not only to evaluate the courses designed to train the trainer and in the relevance and technical adequacy of the current promulgation ofNCS Administrative Instructraining but to determine whether the subject is tion I-10 the Instructor Course Manager Evalucovered comprehensively and to what extent the ation and Development Program This instructraining impacts on the mission tion patterned after the widely-acclaimed evaluation program used in Fairfax County pre U A Board consists of five to seven members headed by a chairman generally selected from the scribed for the first time yearly evaluation of key component having the greatest need forthe instructors by supervisor or a designated expert courses The goal is to assemble an unbiased group to include classroom observation and a developfrom NSA operational elements the military acade- mental plan for improving the instructor's skills mia private industry and the NSA career profes U Another important initiative which grew sionalization panels out of the 1983 Intelligence Skills Curriculum U The Board convenes for four or five days listen- Review was the establishment of the A Group ing to the teachers and managers who describe their Training Authority The chairman of the curriculum review and the then Chief of A2 procourses and the methodology used Users from operational areas testify as to user satisfaction with vided a training authority position as a test the courses-taking into consideration the structure case which soon proved to be an important step and sequencing of courses the quality of the instruc- to a formal ongoing line of communication between the NCS and Operations This position tional delivery system the effectiveness of testing was so successful that the 1986 Target Studies 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 19 C6NFIBEN'ffAL DOCID 4012037 CONFfBEN'ftA h Curriculum 'ReView Board 'of which the A Group ---l '1'C ' -Ir n ' addition the Evaluation DiVision conducts Training Authority was a member proposedkainvarious research' proj cts such as managing the ing authorities for each Group thus making trainval f' d e uation'o computerfbase coursewarefor mg an important part ofGroup-level managemeut GlJESTMAS'l'ERj 1 Today the Group Training Authorities playa major role in the Curriculum ReView process ' ' Another They nominate candidates to serve as reView of Its larger projects IS detemumng the validity board members identify key training issues d Ii b'l' f 8' 9 al ' an re a 1 Ity'O 0 to 0 eqUlv ency test S now m proVide points of contact to give user testimony ·th NCS Thi b 'l d ' hi h 'cul h use m' e ' s proJect IS emg co n ducted by h e p etermme w c cum a s ould be re evaluation teams composed of professIonal evalub' 'hi Viewed assist in the implementation of board recd'd' ators su ect-matter experts teac 'ng depart ommend ations an 1 entitY potential adjunct ment representatIves and a profes Slonal statisti ' th f ac ul ty to assIst In e reVIew process Clan who has researched and designed the deter · minants for testevaluation U Some recommendations from curriculum I reViews have led to special studies such as a recent study on prerequisites undertaken by the Evaluation DiVision to determine the validity of all academic prerequisites The study resulted in over 150 changes U In addition there is a mini-reView process which includes course validation and revalidation The initial validation of a course or the pilot evaluation is a look at the first or second offering of a course examining course content methods of instruction and instructional materials The Evaluation DiVision looks at methods for assessing student learning such as tests exercises projects papers It also looks at the results of student evaluations and conducts interviews with instructors course managers and students Revalidation which parallels the validation process is used for courses that have been part of the curriculum for a while and have been preViously validated The scheduling of revalidation is based on student enrollment and the amount of time that has elapsed since the last examination of the course The process of revalidating a course includes interviewing supervisors of course graduates and is conducted in sufficient depth to determine whether a full-scale evaluation is necessary U A specific evaluation plan is designed in coordination with the teaching department and appropriate operations personnel in order to ensure that the evaluation focuses on the issues of concern I U The Evaluation DiVision is constantly looking for areas where they can make a difference All of these procedures and programs have one common goal-ensuring quality standards for the NCS EO 1 4 c P L 86-36 BULLETIN BOARD GIVING A TALK U If you plan to use Viewgraphs to illustrate your talk you might want to consult a do-it-yourself packet that contains valuable hints about type face and size arrangement of contents and other information to help you prepare legible and appealing Viewgraphs Fora copy write to The Editor CRYPTOLOG PI North giVing your name organization and building Please note that telephone requests will not be honored CORRECTION U The correct telephone number for The Cryptologic Quarterly now under D9l is 972-2355 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPfOLOG page 20 CONFIQI iNTIAI DOCID 4012037 SECRET nUl SUC or N rlVLV J J1i111C' 'l SECRET ItMffiLE 'In' COMHIT CIn LS » LY P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d DOCID 4012037 SECRET 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 22 SECKEli' tt1l ffflLE VIA eO Hn T CIl iti Hl£LS ffiILY P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d DOCID 4012037 S'ECKE't' 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 23 SECR T WJ I VI A C » fI 1 J' CUA U Q TI Y - P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d DOCID 4012037 SECRE'f 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 24 SECR T II-A offiLE 'fA COJyH IT CnA t Q g O T b¥ P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d DOCID 4012037 S£CRE'f 2nd Issue 1990 ' CRYPfOLOO ' page 25 CRET Ih'PffiLEYIA eO wHUf ClM UfffiLS Ofd Y P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d DOCID 4012037 SECRE'f i 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 26 SECR T MAl'lf U VIA COM lT CIfA H'R3 S OnLY P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d DocrD 4012037 SECRE'F •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Raw Traffic and Remote Collection P L 86-36 'I L - - _'·POSISAO U Following is information on two topics that people have been calling about RAW TRAFFIC U U A question that frequently arises in the Operations Directorate is What is the classification of raw traffic Raw traffic when it does not identify a target country nor reveal evidence of pre cessing is classified CONFIDENTIAL This •• pertains 2llh to unprocessed intercept that • does not contain operator comments or indications ofanalytic successes or any reference to case notation or arbitrary traffic designators This rule applies also to raw traffic intended fo traiIring purposes' only U The classification need not be' place on each piece of raw traffic forwarded by courier But ifit is forwarded electrically the classification and any applicable caveats must be placed on the message REMOTE COLLECTION U U ·The fact that NSA is involved in remote collection activities when no location or target is identified or inferred has been declassified 'r FOUO When remote collection was a new technology the sensitivity of the method waf protected as CONFIDENTIAL But because of advance in science and technology re ----------------------_ • moting is certainly a state-of-the-art capability and its disclosure should not damage our national security P L 86-36 EO 1 4 c EO 1 4 d U Note that this change will be incorporated in the forthcoming revision of the NSA Classification Manual • • •• • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 27 SECRE'f ItANt 1£ itA COftllN'f CItANffflLS ONLY DocrD 4012037 P L 86-36 EXPERT VlliSJI DESJIGNER HJIRED WOR THREE DAYS We don't know everything there is to know in our office Ai a result we need a little help from time to time Our last call for help brought in an expert fron California Here's how we did it Our key VLSI designer l sbuilding a special multiplier for processing large n bers Bob found a new design in the literature that featured high speed with small physical size This design is complex consisting of several pieces that are best visualized in three dimensions Pictures show only two dimensions so help The author of the design was Dr Mark Santoro at Stanford University A call to the University led to a call to Dr Santoro who is no longer on the faculty at Stanford but who agreed to visit and consult on the multiplier for a fee ofcoUTse An interesting sideline is that the telephone con- I md Dr Sanversation between our toro was so clear that Dr Santoro thought we were a local Bay Area company Reaccepted our invitation before he realized we were across the nation and not across the Bay Nevertheless he was on the airplane to the east a f¢w days later Dr santoro was put to work In the three days he was here he gave one briefing to R55 another to RI and still another to V75 After the briefings Dr Santoro sat at the workstation with Bob and designed two arrays using the new architecture The effort produced a family of multiplier designs useful to R5 V7 and Rl The result is that for a modest expenditure and in a short ti me we were able to get expert help all with an ordinary purchase request As bureaucratic as it sometimes seems our procurement system can be ulOed in ways that are beneficial to our in-house designers Fee payment for consulting services is something Bob has done before He arranged withD PWIA contracting officer to hire Dr Santoro throughConsU1ller Sensory Products Corporation an occasional emploYE r of We calledon expert help and within a short time Dr Santoro Since the cost was less tllan$5QOO we got it the PR was processed with the helpofl linlessthaIla eekL - - - - I I 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO p a g e 2 8 FOR OFFlCMb HSFi ONb¥ P L 8 6- 3 6 DOCID 4012037 1 e 6 u t t a f L P L 86-3 6 86-36 U A number of us fallen away linguists feel compelled to correct what we believe are definite misimpressions given in the last issue's article A Note on the Linguist Problem We believe Mr larticle was anhone t attempt to address a perceived problem afflicting the language career field but we also believe that his basic assumptions are incorrect I linguists including the wri te s of this reb ttal have left the field U Linguists leave because they are bored and' because they want more challenge than that offered by many language jobs It is important to understand that not all individuals classified by their job duties as linguists love languages enough to make a career of them Many linguists happened to have learned languages in pursuit of area or social studies degrees where languages were a mandatory part of the prQgram Even language majors were often more interested in the literature culture and history ofthe people who speak the language than in the language itself These individuals have many other interests besides translating and transcribing U He maintains that there is general agreement on two issues a shortage of qualified linguists and the fact that linguists leave the 'field because of a lack ofpromotion opportunities While there have traditionally been critical shortages in certain usually low-density languages and while not all linguists qualified or otherwise are working in the language career field the far-reaching statement that there is a shortage oflinguists may no longer be true U This brings us directly to another important reason linguists leave namely the desire to use on U With respect to his second assertion which is the job other skills which they may possess and to the focus of this response we believe that linguists develop additional skills or areas of interest Such leave the language field for many reasons only skills may include public speaking political skills one of which is promotional considerations In public relations teaching representation writing fact promotions are probably the least important and management 'While many of these skills can reason considering the real effort now to promote be employed in some areas where linguists work non-supe sors One only needs to look at statisthese skills ate more heavily applied in managetics in the l test QMR to discover how untrue is ment and staff positions The diversity of skill the assertion that one has to be a supervisor to get usage that such positions offer is very attractive to promoted Linguists of the younger generation those who want to exercise or employ as many of especially probably leave not so much for monetheir abilities as possible in the process of fully tary reasons but for personal development Let us developing themselves and their careers present a few more piausible reasons why some 2nd Issue 1990 • CRYPTOLOO • page 29 CONFIBEN'i'tAL ltAlfflLF VIA COJriIi1ft' CItAHfffitS ONLY • DOCID 4012037 m A number of years ago it was not unusual to have linguists leave the Agency not just the career field because their language skills were so critical that they were not a llowed to do anything else Promotion was not an issue personal development and job satisfaction were Even today many linguists who love language work are frustrated becaus they see little hope of advancement r a d ' increased responsibility and challenge _ not just p omotion if and processing fields a first-hand knowledge of language or analytic skills often makes the solution more rapid'AND more appropriate U Additiona lly linguists because oftheir fa- -cility with languages tend to be good communicators This is one area where fallen away liDgui ts make critical contributions There arE lseveral staff in the agency Q J N for ex ple that devote much time to defending they stay ···the Agency from those downtown who would U There are any number of negative forces at chip away at or steal outright our mission function and even'life's blood i e budget work that also drive linguists from language work Many of these battles are ultimately won beEvery year many very good linguists reluctantly leave the career field because of an inability to pass cause we can state our case clearly and convincinglyand many ofthese cases are written the relevan language PQE No oneJikes to hear this but perfectlygood linguists doing valuable byex7linguists P L 86- 3 6 work in their organizations leave because they are C-CCO eriii ilal article raises tired of banging their heags against the PQE sysother questionsthaf need to be answered such tem We must also mention the linguists who leave as Is the failure to establish viable tech track because of t1 le sweat shop atmospheres that preprogf lIls the real eason li ists leave or vail yes even in 1990 in their work areas-this includes lousy and overcrowded working conditions What is the real value of staff work to this Agency or Is it realistic to expect linguists to as well as the of¥n unchallenging andrepctitive conduct customer relations collection managealbeit important language work ment and still have time to process intercepted communications NOTE We take strong FOUO I lass es that it is always a exception to many ofthe author's other asnegative when linguists leave the field We would sumptions and conclusions but will leave those like to suggest however that there are some good things that happen both for the Agency and the topics to others to examine more fully persons leaving The Agency benefits immensely FOUD We also suggest that this issue is not from the cross-'fertilization that occurs when linunique 'to linguists but rather raises the guists work in areas other than DDO On the one broader question of individual growth versus hand linguists get exposure to the enormous proborganizational requirements The author lems and efforts involved in making it possible for linguists to have something to work on Frequently suggests that we collect and decrypt more than their expertise in operations helps those in support we can publish because we lack linguists How much more could we collect and decrypt if we areas get a better perspective on how to handle had more engineers signals analysts and pro' requests for new products services or improvements to existing support structures On the other grammers hand people in support areas get a better perspec U Any attempt to solve the problem of lintive from these ex-linguists on wliat all their work guists le ving the career field if indee there amounts to inthe operational arena Those workreally is a problem worth solving mus take ing in support areas outside DDO sometimes have into account all the reasons for which linguists little idea of how their work contributes to intellileave While we db not pretendacomprehengence collection and'processing Even within DDO sive approach we hope the perspectives we former linguists have peen known to bring valuable have just offered help establish a more cominsights to the solution of a problem because of plete and' correct pi ture their particular expertise Indeed in the collection I 2nd Issue 1990 CRYf'TOLOCP page 30 eONI'· 'ftAL HMlf U2 VIA COMI IT CHA tP-H3JS mH Y 1 4 c fn 6 4012037 Asian Parasite Threatens Bee Population Italian Expedition Stakes Claim in Antartica AIDS Information Campaign Extended to Schools Alcoholism Statistics Worse Than Expected Quality ofTeaching Profession Criticized Alitalia Increases Capital Plans Expansion Short-Order Translation CCO These are just some of the subjects I've translated froni Italian newspapers and magazines as a contract translator over the ast few When I moved to my current liaison position at CIA HQS the job promised new challenges broader experiences new perspectives my own IBM XT even a work-related parking sticker but no translating I wasn't keen on having my language skills slowly rust away from disuse so I looked for some other way to maintain them as my use of Italian outside of· work was minimal Freelance translating seemed the logical answer 1 - JFOl 9 Since I was on assignment to CIA it was relatively easy to research its translation service The US Joint Publications Research Service JPRS is a component of the Foreign Broadcast Information Service FBIS located in Reston Virginia FBIS an overt operation which falls under CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology collects and scans over 7 000 foreign newspapers and publications for material to be translated in response to Community requirements It publishes the more perishable items radio and TV broadcasts or press reports for example in eight FBIS Daily Reports and passes the less perishable items newspaper and journal articles for example to JPRS for publi cation as reports Well it sounded as ifit had possibilities So I wrote JPRS and received an application form background information form and a language examinationto do at home The two forms were a couple pages of routine questions on background and experience that I submitted to Q4 for review The language examination consisted of translating two articles-one economic P L L -_ _ 86-36 Irs the other tec ical-into clear and idiomatic English Once the paperwork was completed acceptance came in the form of a contract U Soon after my Desk Officer sent a welc oming letter and a copy of the JPRS Handbook for Contractors containing complete instructions for handling translation assignments The Desk Officer I learned is the contractor's lifeline to JPRS She s'ends assignments supplies newsletters and working aids She also reviews and edits translations for publication evaluates' quality and timeliness of translations as part of the periodic evaluation process and stands ready to answer any questions U Assignments are made on the basis of qualifications areas of expertise and ability to meet deadlines The goal ofFBIS is to get the work· translated as quickly and accurately as possible so it's important that translators keep the Desk Officer informed of the number of words they can 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 31 SECRET ItANBLE YfA COMH'ff CUA 5 max DOCID 40120-37 Returned assignments are edited and Working Aids NSA is on distribution for all of the working aids mentioned T5152 handles internal NSA dissemination and the Reference Section of $e Main Library has them all on microfiche Hard copies of the more re cent ones can be ordered through T5152 U The'most current list of titles and document can numbers be found in the 1989·Dictionary Issue of No Uncertain Terms Terminology Guide for Translators another excellent working aid This bi-monthlypublication provides information and guidance to JPRS translators The publication containing a wealth of information js an open forum for any topic related to translating or terminology U The yearly'Dictionary Issue isa compilation IOf those_dictionaries and reference books consid­ ered- essential for FBIS translations One section ofNo Uncertain Terms is usually reserved for FBIS Standardization Decisions such as i5'BJS ruling on the expansion of acronyms banslation of terms correct spellings and so on it-suPl'lements the standardization-rules spelled out in the Hcmdbook and other'working aids mentioned above translate each month and also ofany changes in their availability to translate Since it has no control overthe amount received JPRS can give no guarantees on volume of work to be assigned To help the translator JPRS provides several working aids JPRS publishes many very good glossaries and reference aids on acronyms abbreviations and specialized terminology Occasionally it conducts workshops for translators Technical support is just a phone call away With regard to automation support there's the monthly Newsletterfor JPRS Contractors which provides guidance on putting finished translations into proper software format There's also the Automation Guidelines for JPRS Contractors an instruction handbook for doing translations on computer And of course the Desk Office is always willing to help translator with questions published in about 50 serial reports and ad hoc publications Most reports are published in two versions a FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY version containing material covered by copyright restrictions and distributed to U S government consumers only and an unclassified version containing non-copyrighted material distributed to US Government consumers and also on sale to the public through the National Technical Information Service U JPRS contracts about 1 000 translators who do not require US citizenship to handle the unclassified translations-classified translations are done inhouse for the most part Independent contractors receive assignments by mail do their translating'at home and are paid according to a schedule of rates per thousand· words translated Rates are established based'on 'such factOrsas specialiiedskills and type oflanguage sele d Asian and East European 1anguages and special technical expertise earn a premium rate U Anew computer editing and composition system'was introduced'in 1987 The Automated FBIS System as itis called requires that all translations be in electronic form As a'result close to 95 percent of the contractors now do their translating on computer and submit work on diskettes or via modem U If you're interested in contract translation JPRS currently needs experienced translators in the followinglanguages Arabic Cambodian Chinese Czech Slovak Finnish Hungarian Icelandic Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Turkish and Ukrainian Applications from translators with a knowledge ofuncommon languages such as Kirghiz'or Swahili are always'welcome 'Applicants should have a good command of written English and should be able to submit translations on computer disk To apply send a resume after Q4 has seen it to FBISlJPRS P O Box 2604 Washington D C 20013 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 32 SKCM 't' DOCID 4012037 I P L IJ 86-36 BJILLOOO-IOT CIVIL U1J11 ST L6 oday's arcane business of airborne and spaceborne intelligence gathering is a multi-billion dollar industry However as complex and as high-tech as it is in today's world airborne intelligence gathering had a rather simple beginning-during the American Civil War The Union and Confederates both used hot-air and later hydrogen-filled balloons to spy on each other Even back then field commanders were keenly aware of the lack of and the importance of real-time reliable information on the enemy's intentions whereabouts and movements Observing the enemy from balloons filled some of those information gaps alloons were not new in the U S in the 1860's in fact they had been known in this country since their first flight here in 1793 Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War balloonists or aeronauts as they then liked to be called volunteered their services and their balloons Perhaps the most famous of these was Professor Thaddeus Lowe who although he was only 28 years old at the time had been involved in the science of ballooning for years before the War In July 1861 Lowe arranged a demonstration of ballooning for President Lincoln and the War Department At an altitude of 1 000 feet over Washington DC he used the insulated wire anchoring his balloon to telegraph a message to Lincoln saying that from his observation point he commanded a view of over 50 square miles of area This telegraph message was the first ever sent from a balloon Thus was born the downlinkalbeit an unencrypted one but a downlink nonetheless President Lincoln impresssed by Lowe's demonstration asked him to form a balloon observation corps and authorized funding and personnel for five ballons and ground support crews n an effort to sell the President and War Department on the new balloon technology Professor Lowe probably stretched the truth and overstated its capability when he told Lincoln that he could see a 50 square mile area because in actual operations a balloon observer with the aid of a telescope could realistically cover an area of about 30 square miles Once they were put into service and after some trial and error the balloons were equipped with several miles ofinsulateii telgraph wire signal flags and searchlights for llighttime use The insulated wire 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 33 FOR OFFICfAl USE ONI Y DOCID 4012037 and signal flags were key additions to the inventory since the any information gathered was not worth much if it could not be quickly communicated to the field commanders The observers soon became adept at counting tents to get estimates of troop strengths and using enemy campfires to spot locations Surveyers and mapmakers also rode balloons as observers and used the first-hand information they gathered to make detailed maps of terrain features and troop locations for the local ground commanders here were however limitations to the usefulness of Balloon-INT much as there is with modern airborne intelligence gathering methods Weather was a big determining factor on the balloon missions Even when the balloons could fly sometimes the smoke and dust of the battlefield limited or entirely negated the usefulness of the observers Realizing that being under Unionob servation made them very vulnerable the Confederates like today's armies learned to deal with the threat The Rebels became very adept at deception and camouflage---sort ofif you can't join them beat them They constructed fake gun emplacements and cannons and put out the fires in their camps or set campfires in dummy camps to confuse the observers Another tactic they adopted was to make important troop movements at night Although these measures did confuse the balloon observers they also cost the Confederates dearly in manpower time and ease and speed of troop movements he Union learned just how valuable airborne intelligence gathering coupled with realtime relay of information could be during the battle of Fair Oaks May 31- 1 June 1862 On the first day of the battle Professor Lowe himself was aloft and observed a large concentration of Confederates massing for an assault His telegraphed information enabled the Union forces to quickly bring up reinforcements and stave off the advance On the second day ascending to an altitude of over 2 000 feetover the battlefield and'trailing over a mile and a half of telegraph wire Lowe used an on-board operator to relay situation reports every 15 minutes directly to the ground station where President Lincoln was located It is generally conceded that in the battle of Fair Oaks the f ct that ballons were able to make observations and relay them in real-time to the ground did much to avert a stunning Union'defeat Professor Lowe and his balloons played an important role in the Union actions at Fair Oaks Little did he or anyone else know just how important this battle would be or the effect it would have on the rest of the war For it was in this battle that the Confederate General Johnston would be twice wounded and have to removed from command In his place President Jefferson Davis put Robert E Lee in command of the Army of Northern Virginia-which he held until the surrender at Appomatox in April 1865 il alloon-INT like any other INT has its share of amusing war stories One such story shows just how important serendipity can be to a good intelligence gathering operation Richard Wheeler in his book Sword over Richmond which chronicles Gen McClellan's Peninsula Campaign of 1862 gives an amusing account of an unplanned intelligence collection mission by one of the Union generals It seems that PrQfessor Lowe had been giving balloon lessons to Gen Fitz John Porter On 11 April Gen Porter decided to make a dawn ascent in one of Lowe's balloons According to the account the single rope tethering the balloon snapped like an explosion from a shell sending the general and the balloon on an unintended free flight Imll ith Lowe trying to shout instructions up to the general the balloon began to drift toward the Confederate lines Gen Porter tlien tried to climb the balloon's outer netting to reach the safety valve release rope Failing in this hejs reported to have calmly climbed down the netting pullout a spyglass from the gondola and begin reconnoitering the enemy positions At this point the winds aloft freshened carrying the balloon Gen Porter and his spyglass over the Confederate lines deep into enemy territory While the Rebels tried in vain with their muskets to bring down the balloon GEm Porter calmly continued gathering intelli gence For some time the balloon drifted to and fro over the battlefront under the helpless gazes of both sides Finally the balloon drifted back over the Union side and this 'time the general was successful in reaching the safety valve rope 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG • page 34 FOR OFFI€Mb t JSRor LY DOCID an4t l o n anded safely in Union hands After a rather harrowing experience the general had indeed gotten more than he had bargained for He got his first-hand real-time intelligence and an adventuresome flight to boot Upon h aring of General Porter's adventure Gen McClellan who was Commander of the Army of the Potomac at that time said that he wouldn't be caught in one of those confoUnded balloons and would not allow any of his gen ·rals to go up in them owe is even credited with creating the forerunner of the aircraft carrier Quick to realize that mobility and being able to keep pace with the tactical forces he was supporting were important he developed a riverborne capability He had a former coal barge converted to a floating balloon support station · Using this vessel he was able to fly his balloons high above the tether ship and be towed up and down water ways making continuous observations over a wider area IIiTI hile it is true tha t in the field of Balloon INT the Union may have had the upper hand it wasn't all one-sided The Confederates realized probably more so than the Union the value of balloons for gathering information and tried their luck However like so many things the Confederates tried the only luck they had was bad luck Their first attempt in 1861 to build and launch a balloon was an absolute failure They tried again in June 1862 and were successful This balloon tethered to a tug in the James river was one day lefthigh and dry by the outgoing tide The Union troops were able to capture the vessel and reel in the stranded balloon Short of funds for such experiments the Rebels were not able to field a third balloon until 1863 In the summer of that year that balloon was blown from its tether by high winds drifted over the Union lines and was confiscated This was the last attempt by the South to use balloons in the War though I believe that Southern generals would have been more willing than their Union counterparts to use observation balloons as part of their operations had funding been available owe like many other vi ionaries was not fully understood nor completely appreciated byth se in power Early in the war he enjoyed the active support ofgenerals such as McClellan and Porter but those who succeeded them in the· A rmy of the Potomac were not as far sighted is new superiors not sensing the importance of his work had placed what Lowe saw as unbearable restrietions on his operations and they had also cut his funding and ground crew support Lowe became disenchanted and resigned in May 1863 After his resignation his balloon corps died and with it the means to provide realtime intelligence support to ground forces It would be almost 60 years during World War I before U S military forces would once again look to airborne intelligence ga thering to suppor tactical operations One can only imagine what changes would have been made in the histories of such battles as Gettysburg the Wilderness Chancellorsville and others had observation balloons and airborne intelligence gathering and real-time information relay continued to evolve ' III n today's high-tecll intelligence gathering business the concepts that are second nature to us such as downlinks ground stations real-time data relay support to tactical commanders camouflage and deception all had their beginnings back in the Civil War We have have refined these concepts td a very high degree using video and digital technology lasers spacecraft etc but Professor Lowe and his balloons started it all I I y way of giving credit where credit is due the least we can do is name our next hightech multi-billion dollar airborne intelligence gathering system after him 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 35 FOR OFli'ICI i Y O fb¥ DocrD 4012037 'W'J Lel l erS To the Editor As far as the 'advertising hoopla about technical leaders of tomorrow goes I hope the future appliI feel thatl etter to the editor concants toC -600 are analytically sophisticated cerning the Multi-Disciplined Analyst Program lst Issue 1990 betrays a misunderstanding of the enough to separate advertisement from fact Anyone whohas ever been in a gathering of interns program and perhaps a flawed perception of the purpose of education and training in general CK- has heard an agency senior say to a room full of people he or she doesn't know You are the future 600 is the current incarnation of the Multi-Discileaders of this agency-the' movers and shakers plined program and the first class of which I am Any time you hear that sentiment expressed take a member will graduate in OctOber 1990 At no a look around you and imagine the people you see time before or during my involvement in the program have I been so naive as to think that NSA' as agency leaders Makes you shake and want to move doesn't it would pay my salary for two years-two years in which I could contribute little to NSA's rnissionThe only thing an education and training program simply'to e hancemy career ' I don't mean to such as CK-600 can do 'is increase a person's sa that e agency isn't interested in personal knowledge If a person puts that knowledge to the development but business is business and busiright use then yes he or she may well become a nesses invest in education and training becaus technical leader it's a worthy goal But you canthey expect some return Th Multi-Disciplined not identify a person as a leader by looking at his Analyst Program hopes to produce a set of employ or her personnel stimmary I hope the agency ees equipped with in-depth knowledge of SIGINT never takes action to enhance the careers of collection processing and analysis It was 't multi sciplined people or of anyone else for created to boost the careers of the participants that matter Basing promotions on tickets punched is not good'management Theolliy _ _ _ _ _---J letter reflects a common misconception about career-enhancing programs including acceptable measure of an employee is job performance and if an eduCation and training program intern programs NSAis in the business of pro-' job performance then you're well improves your ducing signals intelligence and protecting U S on the way to enhancing your own career communications NsA is notin the business of making careers A person's careeris his or her own responsibility Every employee should know that when an employer tells you This program will benefit your career what is actually meant is This program will make you a more useful employee And here's an important tip being a more useful employee will benefit your career What you write in your personnel summary is irrelevant if you don't use your background to further NSA's mission I would encourage anyone who is interested to pursue the CIt 600 program because I believe the agency needs people with the background this course provides Plus as long as you're interested in meeting that need and not justin filling out a persum it could make you a more useful employee 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOO page 36 FOR omcJ l JS O bY P L 86-36 DOCID 4012037 CONFIBE'fftAL To the Editor Rell 1st 1 990 issue la ticle A Note on the Linguist Problem in the 1 For Techtrackers -••••••••••••••••••••••••• • This UNIX shell script explains the abysmal • • state of the Agency's SI6INTtechnical health • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• sed ' Linguists sllTAs ' article TAarticle • String Linguist in article 'is changed to TA in TAarticle cat « » TAarticle EO 1 4 e eef 1 I I As a group Traffic Analysts have about one chance in 10 of getting to 6614 less than one chance in 100 of making G615 and little chance of making STE For actual working TAs statistics are much worse about one in 20 less than one in 400 and noneXistent respectively Unfortunately for the Agency the best and brightest TAs can and do analyze things besides communications Things like promotion 5tat5 job opportunities and BSSeM blue smoke and mirrors aka Techtrack f • Adds additional paragraph to TAarticle cat 'article poortechhealth • Combines articles on lingUists TAs IRs SAs SCs Cms etc • into a single report very appropriately named poortechhealth read poortechhealth • Management reads report on technical health of the SIGINT • workforce the fol ks who actually produce SI6INT and pay • the light bill here echo We will do more for our technical people etc etc • After 'upper management review the usual action is taken • More words are sent forth to pacify the technical rabble • while another 50 fast tracker managers staff turkeys • and other strap hangers are quickly promoted mv poortechhealth Idev null • Management moves combined report on poor tech health to the • current location of Techtrack find I -name management job -print • Techtracker after hearing the same old words seeing the • action taken and checking the latest promotion list • locates and prints out a listing of management jobs cd Imanagement newjob • Techtracker finds the real answer to personal advancement haltsys • What B6SeE does when you don't pay the light bill • • End shell script • 2 For all others The gist of the above Actions speak louder than words As ye sow so shall ye reap and B6SeE has a solution 2nd Issue 1990 CRYPTOLOG page 37 CONFIBFJNT M ltAHDLE lith COM ff CIf 'JN£LS O H Y P L 86-36 c DOCID 4012037 TillS 90Cl 1MBNT eONTAINS eOBBWORB r-tA't'BRIAb SKRE NOT RELEASABLE TO CONTRACTORS·