SIDtoday 2011 Year in Review

DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL Welcome! Saturday, 10 Nov 2012 • • • • • • • • • • • Web search Agency-all Emails SID-all Emails NSA Rolodex SCQAWK: The SID Mailbag SIDtoday Blog SIDtoday Series SIGINT Worldwide VTC SIDtoday Article Letter to the Editor SIGINT-y Social Media Page (U) SIGINT Year in Review, November 2011 FROM: Teresa H. Shea Director, Signals Intelligence Directorate Run Date: 11/22/2011 (U) Introduction (U) Colleagues: As I mark my first anniversary as SIGINT Director, it seems fitting to take a look back on what the SIGINT enterprise accomplished over the past year... and what a year it was! We were challenged with supporting the military campaigns related to the war on terrorism and the crises in the Middle East, natural disasters, global technological changes -- in addition to the ongoing demands of following our enduring targets. Not only did you respond brilliantly to all of these challenges, but you also continued to move forward with long-term enhancements to our capabilities and ways of operating that will pay dividends in the months and years ahead. (U) As you read this account of what we accomplished together over the last year, I think you will be reminded that it isn't just one person or group that makes us successful, but rather every element of the Enterprise plays an indispensible role. In addition, we should always remember that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us that built the SIGINT Enterprise. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.

I. (U) Operations (S//SI//REL) This has been a milestone year in the war on terrorism. Certainly the most powerful and enduring accomplishment was the successful strike against Osama Bin Laden. For nearly a decade a dedicated group of SIGINT professionals would not let go of the search, and their persistence paid off in substantive contributions at critical points on the road to Abbottabad. In the end many of you brought your expertise to bear in the final weeks and hours, resulting in a tremendous outcome in our counterterrorism efforts. Even then you didn't rest on your laurels: you played a significant supporting role a few months later in the operations against Atiyah abd-Rahman in Pakistan and Anwar al-Awlaqi in Yemen. Key targets continue to be removed from the battlefield as a result of your outstanding SIGINT contributions.