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(S//SI) An IMT is Coming to Your Mission!
FROM: MG Richard Quirk, USA
Signals Intelligence Director
Run Date: 10/10/2003
(S//SI) Last November, in preparation for support to Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Signals
Intelligence Directorate introduced the Issue Manager Team (IMT) construct. During Iraqi
Freedom operations, the Iraqi IMT proved invaluable in reaching across the SIGINT Enterprise to
work with customers, partners and operational entities to clarify and prioritize intelligence needs,
identify gaps in the U.S. SIGINT System, and to strategize solutions to optimize the SIGINT
system.
(S//SI) Capitalizing on the success of the IMT construct, we established four (4) additional IMTs
since February, they are: Korea , Counterterrorism, Proliferation/Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMD) and Latin America. To date, it is clear that through the great dedication and skill of these
IMTs, we are gaining critical insights into ways to further optimize the SIGINT system. The men
and women who serve as IMT members have been essential in this pursuit -- they are truly
making a difference.
(U//FOUO) Recently we met with the DIRNSA and agreed to roll out the IMT construct on a
global scale. For all IMTs the goals are the same - - to facilitate gap analysis and the integration
of SIGINT activities across the SIGINT Enterprise and with customers, partners and stakeholders
for their issue; simply put -- to optimize our performance in each of these target areas. All
targets and issues do not require the same level of intensity and/or urgency at the same time.
Acknowledging this and being committed to using our resources responsibly, SID will be
implementing a tiered approach to IMTs.
(S//SI) The tiered approach takes into account that not all issues require three (3) full-time
issue managers like the IRAQ and CT teams. Some IMTs, after an initial 3-month stand-up
period, will have their members revert to part-time status and only go into full-time mode in
response to some preset schedule or in the event of a crisis. The part-time members keep their
regular positions in SID, working full-time on IMT duties only as needed. The three tiers are
defined as follows:
Tier 1 - "High Alert" Team - three full-time positions
Iraq
Counterterrorism
Tier 2 - "Significant Alert" Teams - one full-time and two part-time positions
Proliferation
Asia/Pacific
Information Operations
Tier 3 "Moderate Alert" Teams - three part-time positions
Europe/Russia
Africa
MENA/Stans/India/Pakistan
Latin America & Caribbean
Weapons & Space
Counternarcotics/Interanational Crime
Counterintelligence
Global Geopolitical Issues (Ecconomic/Social/Environmental)
(U//FOUO) While the SIGINT Leadership Team is currently working to define the IMT members,
in the future we plan to post IMT vacancies for competitive selection. As an IMT member you will
work closely with me and the rest of the SIGINT Leadership team to strengthen our response to
SIGINT challenges and inform our investment decision-making process. I encourage all GS-15s,
DISES and DISLs with operational SIGINT experience to consider becoming an IMT member in
the future. I am excited about our future and the steps we are taking with the IMTs. Our work
should also substantially contribute to implementing DIRNSA's Transformation 2.0 objectives. I
ask that you join me in working to implement this tiered approach and continue to improve our
response to customers' information needs.
"(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