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(U) Reach Out and Touch a Customer
FROM:
(S) Greece and Ukraine (S2C53)
Run Date: 10/17/2005
(S) A SID office invites customers to meet and compare notes on Ukraine.
(S) NSA analysts generally know their "customers" in terms of organizational affiliation, but do
you know them by name? Have you met with them to discuss the nuts and bolts of your target?
There's nothing like meeting in person to facilitate cooperation and focus priorities. On 3 October
2005 NSA's Ukraine team, S2C53, hosted a customer forum entitled "Ukraine: A SIGINT
Prospective."
(S) NSA had previously hosted such an event in 1998 with a dozen participants, but the
response to this year's initiative was very enthusiastic, with 25 customers from CIA, DIA, NGA,
State, and FBI attending. In addition to the host participants, there were in-house attendees
from CIA, DIA, NGA, State, FBI, and NSA/CSS Texas attending. In addition to the host
participants, there were in-house attendees from
S2F21, Transnational Organized Crime;
S2H3, Russian WMD and Defense Technologies;
S2H21, Russian Foreign Policy;
S2K12, Target Behavior; and the
Europe and Africa IMT.
From the extended enterprise NSA/CSS Texas attended. Altogether, 48 people took part in this
informative and timely exchange.
(S//SI) After the tumultuous presidential election last year, Ukraine's parliamentary elections
are now less than six months away and the country is hovering between a turn to stabilization,
reform, and a Western inclination or a relapse into corruption and "business as usual." NSA's
Ukraine Team, however, does not want "business as usual" for their target and sought out their
customers' input in order to direct and streamline collection and reporting efforts.
(TS//SI) The often very lively discussion began with a recap of President Yushchenko's poisoning
and an analysis of his current health status, as well as the political intrigues within his cabinet.
Customers want to know who has influence upon the president and who is conducting power
plays.
(TS//SI) This led directly into an analysis of Ukraine's oligarchs, the business figures who either
participate openly in politics or use their financial clout behind the scenes to influence and
support particular politicians. The team acknowledged that the oligarch target developed as a
result of specific customer interest.
(TS//SI) The subject of business figures inevitably led into an examination of the role of
organized crime in Ukrainian politics. Two presentations were made by S2F21, Transnational
Organized Crime, a branch with whom the team closely collaborates.
(TS//SI) Discussion then turned from the political to the military; after examining the role of
Ukrainian peacekeepers in Iraq, the focus was on international arms sales and weapons
production. S2H3 looked at Ukrainian efforts in developing directed energy weapons; Ukraine
developed pulse-power technology for the Soviet Union and has unique know-how in this area.
(TS//SI) The team also used the opportunity to distribute an Interest Survey on the Ukrainian
defense industry establishment. Customers were presented with a list of the top 15 Ukrainian
defense industries intercepted on a regular basis and asked to indicate their degree of interest.
The survey also left space for the customers to identify targets that are not today intercepted.
An analysis of this survey will further refine the team's collection and reporting efforts and help
the team to produce the highest quality and quantity of intelligence with existing resources.
(S/SI) Both the Ukraine Team and the customers were very pleased with the results of the
forum. Many of the customers were new to the target and had never been to NSA before. Others
have worked with the team for several years and were familiar with the evolution of the
Ukrainian target, having themselves helped to direct it. Having such a large group in one place
greatly facilitated interactive discussion. Everyone agreed that Ukraine was a complex target,
difficult to predict, but always interesting to follow!
(U) POC:
S2C53,
(U) Ukrainian President Yushchenko (Reuters)
"(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