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Brits at NSA: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland Liaison Office, NSA (or UKLO for short)
FROM: Alex Dewdney
UKLO
Run Date: 09/10/2004
(C) GCHQ, the UK's Sigint agency, is represented at NSA by the UK Liaison Of?ce in Ops 28,
and some 40 military and civilian integrees scattered throughout the organisation. Orange
picture passes and cars with peculiar number plates are therefore a common sight at Fort Meade
- but what do all these Brits do, and how long have we been here?
(C) With the ?rst UK Siginter posted to the US in 1941, the UK-US integree programme actually
pre-dates UKUSA (the 1946 agreement that cemented the relationship between the Sigint
services of the US, UK and Canada; Australia and New Zealand joining the 2nd Party club soon
afterwards). At the heart of the early relationship was collaboration on this is still
the case today, but UK integrees have for a long time also been embedded in Analysis and
Production - where, for example, we are establishing two news posts in the Of?ce of Counter-
Terrorism; Data Acquisition; and in a wide range of technical roles.
(C) The UK Liaison Team (UKLT) goes back almost as far, its history stretching from a Col
O'Connor, posted to Washington DC in 1943 to represent the British Governm
Cipher School, to the present day GCHQ Senior UK Liaison Of?cer (SUKLO), who
splits her time between DC and Fort Meade. Besides -, there are currently 10 other liaison
of?cers covering the full range of business:
RD, HR, security, ?nance, legal and public affairs)
- An I Pr duction
- Technology, including
- Data Acquisition
- In ormatlon Assurance
Business Support
UK Liaison Team
We also have a support team, and an of?ce at the British Embassy in DC.
(C) These days the UKLT is busier than ever. This year alone we expect to have nearly 2000 UK
visitors to NSA, mostly from GCHQ but also from other UK organisations such as the Secret
Intelligence Service, the Security Service (M15), the Ministry of Defense and the UK Joint
Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC - the equivalent of US We work closely with the Foreign
Affairs Directorate to make sure that visit programmes match visitors with the most appropriate
areas of NSA, and that arrangements work smoothly from ?rst arrival at the Visitor Center
onwards.
(C) But it's not just about visits. The UKLT also helps maintain existing relationships, and aims
to identify new areas where there are opportunities for GCHQ and NSA to work together for
mutual benefit. These opportunities can be identified from within either organisation - but just
as often it is the liaison officers who can spot things that need to be done, through being able to
take both a UK and US perspective. And, with GCHQ's backing, the UKLOs aim to make an active
contribution themselves, especially where our diverse Sigint backgrounds are directly relevant to
the issue at hand. This has been particularly true over the last two years, as we have worked
together to support coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
(U) Besides work, we are also a source of advice on cultural and historical issues. We deliver
regular brie?ngs on how real footballs are round; why it's possible for beer to be too cold; and
why petrol (sorry, gas) at $2 a gallon is really very, very cheap. We are also on hand to explain
that 4 July isn't really all that historically significant, and that we're glad the Royal Navy left
enough of Fort McHenry standing to make a great day out for the kids. But seriously - the
UKUSA relationship is important to US national security, and absolutely critical to the UK. We
are grateful to all those at NSA who devote so much time and effort to working with us as
partners, and who help ensure GCHQ-NSA collaboration remains an important success story.
(C) Feel free to visit us any time in 2B7042 (or ring
) if you would like our help on any
issue, or simply to find out more about UK Sigint. You can also visit the GCHQ web, available via
NSA net at:
.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108