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(U) NSA at NATO HQ: Supporting U.S. Policy in a Unique Forum
FROM:
NCEUR Special Intelligence Representative, U.S. Mission to NATO (F263)
Run Date: 05/10/2005
(U//FOUO) On 10 November 2004, President Bush welcomed NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer to the White House, the first foreign leader to visit the President at the start of
his second term. It was no coincidence that NATO got that level of attention at the start of the
President's agenda for the second term. The meeting with the head of NATO signaled the
importance that the Administration places on the Alliance as a unique transatlantic forum for
addressing today's global challenges.
(U) NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer meets with President Bush in Brussels.
(Reuters)
(U//FOUO) As a further demonstration of his commitment to strong transatlantic relations and
multilateralism, President Bush met with his NATO counterparts at NATO HQ in Brussels on 22
February. Four NSA personnel stationed there witnessed this event as it unfolded.
(C) NSA has a program of robust support to NATO that reaches throughout the Alliance's
extended theaters of operations. In Brussels, NSA/CSS Europe (NCEUR) maintains four liaison
officers who collectively represent SID, IAD, and FAD interests. These NCEUR personnel have
varied responsibilities and reside in different organizations at NATO HQ, but they all share the
same common purpose of supporting U.S. policy and interests at the highest level of NATO. So
what exactly do they do? For those unfamiliar with the NATO HQ structure, a brief introduction is
in order. NATO's essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members by
both political and military means. The supreme NATO political body is the North Atlantic
Council, or NAC, which comprises the ambassadors from all member countries.
(C) On the military side, the Military Committee (MC) provides advice to and takes guidance
from the NAC. The MC is supported by the International Military Staff (IMS), which is subdivided
into familiar military support areas such as intelligence, operations, and logistics. The United
States permanent delegation at NATO headquarters in Brussels has two separate
representations:
The U.S. Mission , led by the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, is the official diplomatic
representation to the Alliance.
The U.S. Military Delegation is headed by a 3-star general who represents the United
States on the MC.
(C) Now, back to our NCEUR personnel! Of the four positions, only one is truly "embedded" in
NATO. This is the Special Intelligence Liaison Officer, who works in the Intelligence Division of
the IMS. The SILO ensures that, to the greatest extent possible, NSA reporting is made available
to NATO customers. The SILO is an advocate for REL NATO reporting and is at the front lines of
the U.S. commitment to provide intelligence support to NATO. Although the SILO's primary focus
is at the strategic level for senior NATO decision-makers, the SILO also facilitates the flow of
operational and tactical reporting to the subordinate commands, reaching to places such as
NATO commands in Afghanistan and in Kosovo. On behalf of the NATO customer set, the SILO
provides substantial input into the development of relevant Agency reporting and dissemination
guidance.
(S//SI) In contrast to the SILO, the other three NCEUR personnel reside within the U.S.
permanent delegation. The Special Intelligence representative is attached to the U.S. Mission.
The representative's role is to optimize intelligence support to U.S. customers in the Mission and
Military Delegation. As such, they seek out intelligence reports that provide U.S. negotiators with
key insights on issues under discussion at NATO. Additionally, they maintain regular contact with
SIGINT production offices by providing feedback, background documentation, and other
information on request.
(U//FOUO) Finally, two NCEUR personnel representing IAD are assigned one each to the U.S.
Mission and the Military Delegation. On behalf of the United States, these information assurance
experts work to ensure secure, reliable communications interoperability is maintained within the
NATO Alliance. They provide critical advice on cryptographic policy, guidance, testing, and
products. They are key to NATO's continuing ability to maintain secure communications with a
growing number of Alliance members and Coalition partners with differing COMSEC needs,
standards, and capabilities.
(C) In addition to working closely with support offices in the SID and IAD, all four NCEUR liaison
officers keep their respective oversight personnel in the FAD informed of developments in
specific areas of interest. This ensures that FAD stays in the loop on topics that not only concern
NATO but may also have implications for bilateral relations.
(U//FOUO) President Bush himself stated that the United States "is committed to a strong and
vibrant NATO." Representing NSA at NATO HQ gives us the opportunity to play an active role in
this and see history happen.
"(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