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(U) Strengthening Our Analytic Capability
FROM:
Acting Deputy Director for Analysis and Production
Run Date: 08/18/2003
(S//SI) Having spent the last 16 months in Analysis and
Production, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand the
phenomenal job done by SIGINT analysts of all disciplines. From
my previous positions at CIA and on the National Security Council,
I know how important SIGINT was and is to our country's national
security. My time here and interaction with our customers has
deepened that appreciation. Our analysts have continually risen to
the challenges of our changing world and demanding customers
through their expertise, innovation, and sheer determination. We
owe them our gratitude, and we are working to provide them the
tradecraft training, analytic techniques, and tools they need to
keep us ahead of our targets. I am convinced that SIGINT analysis
and the analysts who perform it must be strongly supported and
that we must work continuously to make our product even better.
(U//FOUO) We have commissioned a number of teams to work
primarily in two areas: raising the tradecraft skills and expertise of
all our people and increasing the analytic value added of our
SIGINT product, whether it be end product to customers or SIGINT
development work. While these efforts should be understood as
continuous, with no obvious nirvana end-state, we are moving
ahead on some specific short term goals:
Under the auspices of our Advanced Analysis Lab, a group of
our senior analysts are writing a paper on just what
constitutes excellent analysis - and what are some of the
elements that make our products truly useful, relevant,
insightful and actionable. Through this paper we will set the
standards - the bar - for excellent analytic product.
Another team is developing a process for our experts to
identify "exemplars" of our best products - whether Social
Network analysis, a fused COMINT-Tech SIGINT report, an
in-depth special assessment, or another vehicle. We will put
examples of analysis that meet or exceed our standards for
excellence on our Advanced Analysis Labs 'best practices"
website.
While there is nothing as useful as having excellent models
to emulate, we are also working with the National
Cryptologic School to revamp our analysis training
curriculum in general and to develop a specific "high-end"
course for experienced analysts.
We are asking our Production Line managers to produce a
production plan, that is, to identify those critical issues
where we need analysts to research and write social
network analyses and a continuing stream of assessment
reports over the next year. Customer feedback from the
Iraq campaign has again highlighted how valuable
policymakers and warfighters find our analysis-rich
SERIES:
(U) Analysis
1. Strengthening Our
Analytic Capability
2. Active Analysis:
SIGINT That Can
Predict
3. Pattern and Social
Network Analysis
4. Analysis Series:
Follow the People
and Geospatial
Exploitation
5. Deep Target
Knowledge
6. Analysis Series
Wrap-up: Continuous
Learning
assessment reports. We will measure how well we do.
And finally, we want to reward analytic achievement, and a
team has completed a proposal for some new Deputy
Director for Analysis and Production awards, including an
annual award for Analytic/Technical Excellence.
(U//FOUO) I hope you see that there is a method and deliberate
effort to emphasize the importance of our analytic value-added in
our products and services. As a prelude to our first annual Analysis
Conference , here at NSA from 25 to 28 August, we will present
over the next several days a series of articles highlighting analytic
techniques and learning opportunities. These articles only begin to
scratch the surface of the important, creative approaches our
analysts and second party colleagues are developing and
employing. The Conference will allow us to dig a little deeper and
to share the "best practices" that are being utilized in many
corners of our extended analytic enterprise. I encourage all of you
to attend the panel discussions, workshops, and briefings with an
eye toward how you can apply the knowledge and techniques
presented to your own target.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108