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(U//FOUO) Global Capabilities Manager: What the New Position
Entails
FROM: SIGINT Communications
Unknown
Run Date: 08/08/2005
(U//FOUO) S2's recent redesign created the GCM position, among others. We
interviewed Jonathan Darby, GCM for Combating Proliferation , to find out
what a GCM's duties are...
(U//FOUO) Up till recently, A&P had 12 Product Line Chiefs who were in
charge of topics such as China/Korea, Counterterrorism, the GEOCELL,
and your target: Combating Proliferation. Now the Product Line Chiefs
have been replaced by 12 Global Capabilities Managers for those same
targets. What's changed? How is a GCM different from the old PL Chief?
(U//FOUO) Although global mission strategy was part of the Product Line Chief's portfolio, a
major focus of the job was overseeing production and day-to-day operations for their target
area. And someone is still maintaining focus on operations, in the form of the Primary
Production Center Manager (PPCM) position. The GCM, by contrast, is responsible for strategy - things like global mission allocation and resource management. The key difference is that the
PPCM manages global mission operations as well as manages the Product Line, aka the Primary
Production Center, while the GCM is focused on global mission strategy and capabilities. There is
some overlap, of course, in that the GCM needs to be aware of what's happening operationally,
and the PPCM needs to be involved in strategic decisions, but that's the basic difference.
(C) Regarding the Combating Proliferation (CP) target, is production concentrated here
at Fort Meade, or is work also being done in the Extended Enterprise? Will anything
change in that regard?
(C) I was the Product Line Chief of CP before being named GCM. We've actually been working on
that question for about a year now, so we've already made good progress in building a CP
mission at the Cryptologic Centers (CC's) [the former RSOCs]. We now have people at each site
-- Georgia, Texas and Hawaii -- doing CP. They are already producing reports in Hawaii and
Georgia, and Texas will follow soon, I'm sure. Early next year we should have about 40 CP
analysts at all of the CC's, combined. That's up from 13 today and up from 0 in January 2005.
Next year we expect to stand up a CP mission in Colorado, as well.
(C) I should point out that this isn't so much moving the mission from Fort Meade to the CC's as
it is building a CP mission at those sites. The vast majority of the effort at the CC's will be new
resources. And since we've struggled with a shortage of people to work this target, these new
capabilities at the CC's will be a great boost for us collectively.
(U) What has been the reaction of the people in the field to the creation of the GCM
position?
(U//FOUO) People in the field tell me they welcome the idea of being tied into NSAW and the
whole global system. They want to contribute in a major way, and the GCM is a tangible link that
can make that happen. We and the CC's have created a Production Center Manager (PCM)
position for CP at each of the CC's to serve as the local CP manager. We're still working on
questions of "who is responsible for what" between the CC managers and the GCM. For
example, a long-term question is: "Who is responsible for handling promotions?" But this is all
new and we're figuring it out as we go.
(U) As a practical matter, how will you keep track of what's happening at sites around the
world? Will you rely on emails, work the phones, conduct VTCs, spend a lot of time on
TDY?
(U//FOUO) We've done various things to make sure we're all on the same page. Early on, I and
other CP leaders spent time at the CC's, meeting with leaders there. Some CC CP analysts spent
time in the Product Line prior to their PCS. Some have come back TDY from the CCs to the
Product Line for CP mission familiarization. And CP analysts from Maryland are going TDY to
share expertise with the CCs. This movement back and forth is very helpful. We hold VTC staff
meetings a few times a week in the afternoons so that Hawaii can participate. There are S2G email aliases that include anyone doing CP in Maryland, the CCs, or the CP Production Center in
Virginia, aka the SIGINT Cell. This gives us the opportunity to get the same messages to the CP
work force everywhere. We'll do whatever it takes to have good communications.
(U) What have you found to be the biggest challenge in your job as a GCM so far?
(U//FOUO) I think establishing the role of the GCM is the biggest challenge. Since this is a new
position, there are no rules on how to do it. I meet with the other GCMs and we talk about the
nature of our job and where the lines should be drawn. There will always be differences from one
GCM to another, however, as some have all of their production here at the Fort. On the other
extreme, the Weapons and Space GCM is based in Colorado! So each GCM position will be
unique, but we're focusing now on establishing our roles as GCMs.
(U) What guidance have you gotten from the SID level?
(U//FOUO) SID emphasized the global nature of our job -- they want GCM's to look at the
strategic big picture. We've made a conscious decision to stay out of day-to-day operations and
let others do that job.
"(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