DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
(U) Korea ROCK DRILL 7 Opens Eyes
FROM:
and
Asia-Pacific Issue Management Team
Run Date: 06/17/2005
(S//SI) In Seoul, Republic of Korea (ROK), over 5 days in May 2005, the Asia-Pacific Issue
Management Team (AP IMT) led other NSA/CSS participants and customers from South Korea,
Japan, Hawaii and Maryland in Rock Drill 7, examining the cryptologic system's capabilities and
gaps with respect to supporting the defense of South Korea and warning of a collapse in North
Korea. Holding the Rock Drill in Seoul allowed for widespread theater participation and an
appreciation by NSAW personnel of the challenges of the combined peninsula environment. BG
Ted Nicholas, United States Forces Korea (USFK) J2, set the tone by emphasizing the need for
collaborative yet candid discussions of issues and resolutions.
(U)Seoul Skyline - A View of Two Centuries
(S//SI) The results of Rock Drill 7 were substantial:
a completed NSA/CSS Functional Support Plan for OPLAN 5027 (Defense of the ROK);
combined war planning between the ROK Joint Staff, the Combined Forces Command
(CFC) C2, the USFK J2, and the Defense Security Agency (DSA);
an agreement for all parties to cooperate on a ground mobile intercept strategy; and
the first-ever NSA-wide discussion on how to warn of a North Korean collapse.
(S//SI) The AP IMT continued its tradition of breaking new ground with these other firsts:
This was the first US-ROK "operationalized" Rock Drill, involving the discussion of the
combined SIGINT war plan with NSA, and General Officer-level representatives from
USFK J2, DSA, the ROK JCS J2 and CFC C2.
For the first time, the U.S. presented a sanitized version of the SIGINT force flow
(TPFDD) to DSA and the AP IMT briefed SIGINT lessons learned from the Iraq War.
And an action taken by
to integrate ROK Ground Mobile intercept activity with a
combined ground strategy derived from a DSA-NSA-CFC C2-USFK J2 working group
should result in the first effective combined ground SIGINT strategy derived from the
OPLAN and taking the TPFDD into account.
(S//SI) It was great to find out that as a result of last year's combined Rock Drill, DSA
announced a change to its Transition-to-War Plan.
. Both the
American and Korean participants, particularly the General Officers, extolled the great
operational/intelligence value of this SIGINT Rock Drill and requested that US-ROK Rock Drills be
an annual event.
(S//SI) The progress at the US-ROK Rock Drill session was matched by these accomplishments
during the U.S. only sessions:
Day 1 - The AP IMT led participants through a vetting of sections of the Functional Support Plan
to the Intelligence Campaign Plan for 5027. This work resulted a much-improved document that
met Commander UNC/CFC/USFK, GEN LaPorte's demanding requirements for signature,
culminating a yearlong SIGINT planning effort.
Day 2 - The Rock Drill focused on Phases IIIa (Destroy the North Korean 2nd Army) and IIIb
(Capture Pyongyang) of the OPLAN, which have been areas of emphasis for the Commander.
Using scenarios developed by USFK, the Rock Drill focused on the IT infrastructure necessary to
enable effective SIGINT support. Another scenario led to significant discussion about preparing
Japan to provide SIGINT support to intelligence tasks contained in USFK OPLANs.
Day 3 - The AP IMT led a scenario-driven exercise stressing the SIGINT system's ability to warn
of a North Korean collapse. Since this was the initial NSA Rock Drill on the topic, the
freewheeling and eye-opening discussions resulted in recommendations that USFK create several
new warning indicators.
Day 4 - Rock Drill participants were taken on a "Lay of the Land" tour around the peninsula,
focusing on USM-86, the Information Dominance Center-Korea and the
(S//SI) In his address to the U.S. only Rock Drill GEN LaPorte said, that while he understood
that North Korea was a hard target, it was not his job to be sympathetic but to demand that we
meet his requirements.
(S//SI) Rock Drill 7 resulted in a significant list of actions that, when completed, will better
posture NSA/CSS to support its customers with respect to the North Korean problem. Most of
all, the Rock Drill at DSA served as a forcing function for USFK to share the TPFDD with South
Korea and for the South Koreans to synchronize their intelligence operations among themselves.
(U//FOUO) On the day following the Rock Drill, many participants took an NCR KOR-sponsored
tour of the DMZ, which included a stop at Panmunjom and a visit to an infiltration tunnel dug by
North Korean forces. If any visitors considered the Rock Drill discussions academic, looking
across the line at North Korean guards put those thoughts to rest.
(U)Timing was right for the IMT to witness the celebration of Budda's birthday
(U//FOUO) The IMT would like to thank SUSLAK/NCRKOR for pulling together the senior
operational/intelligence leadership in Korea and getting their personal participation in this Rock
Drill...it is a clear indication that SIGINT is a priority in Korea!
(U//FOUO) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
NSTS
) or
(
, NSTS
).
(
"(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
,