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(U//FOUO) New Staff Supports Network Attack
FROM:
Executive Officer, Network Attack Support Staff (D3)
Run Date: 10/21/2004
(S) This summer, the Secretary of Defense approved a proposal by the Commander, U.S.
Strategic Command, to delegate authority for a significant part of the Command's new
information operations mission to DIRNSA, who assumes another hat as part of the
USSTRATCOM chain of command. As a result of this decision, in addition to his other duties,
General Hayden now serves as the U.S. Strategic Command's Deputy Commander for Network
Attack Planning and Integration . (See related DIRgram-336 .) Within NSA, MG Richard Quirk,
SIGINT Director, takes on additional duty as Assistant Deputy Commander.
(S) Computer Network Attack ( CNA ) is "operations to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy
information resident in computers and computer networks, or the computers and networks
themselves." So, for example, the U.S. may conduct CNA against an adversary in time of war.
Computer Network Exploitation ( CNE ), by contrast, involves the " gathering of data from
target or foreign automated information systems or networks" for intelligence purposes.
(S) How did DIRNSA come to be dual-hatted as part of a warfighting command? Over the past
couple of years there was extensive discussion across the Joint Staff and Department of Defense
on organizing for information operations in general and computer network operations in
particular. This led to a change in the Unified Command Plan assigning responsibility for the full
information operations mission, including computer network attack and defense, psychological
operations, military deception, electronic warfare, and operations security, to USSTRATCOM.
(S//SI) NSA/CSS joined this discussion at many levels, and over time gained acceptance of the
following principles:
1. NSA/CSS fields the nation's most powerful capabilities for computer network exploitation.
2. Computer network attack uses similar tools and techniques as computer network
exploitation. If you can exploit it, you can attack it.
3. The expertise of "Team Meade" -- NSA/CSS and the former IOTC -- can help provide the
nation with powerful capabilities for attack as well as exploitation.
(S) Lt General Hayden's assignment as Deputy Commander for Network Attack Planning and
Integration is intended to leverage the expertise of Team Meade for USSTRATCOM's computer
network attack mission. To accomplish this, he established a new organization, the
USSTRATCOM Network Attack Support Staff (NASS), to support him in the Deputy
Commander role.
(S) The mission of the NASS is to plan CNA courses of action in support of Combatant
Commander requirements, to develop all-source intelligence requirements in support of CNA
planning, and to support USSTRATCOM in the development of standards to promote readiness of
DoD CNA forces and capabilities. Mr. Mike Shank, who served as Director IOTC, is Chief of Staff
for the Network Attack Support Staff. CAPT
USN, also coming out of IOTC, is his
deputy.
(U//FOUO) You'll be hearing more about the NASS in the coming months. For further
information at this time, contact
(
@nsa), Executive Officer,
Network Attack Support Staff.
"(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