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(U//FOUO) Mission Discernment - What's Tops on Our List?
FROM: SIGINT Communications
Unknown
Run Date: 12/16/2005
(S//SI) You walk into an office and BAM! Someone hands you a
SERIES:
target ... you plod along obediently. Ever stop and wonder who
(U) Governance Topic-ofdecides what target you work on? NSA's missions are now being
the-Day
identified via a Governance process known as " Mission
Discernment ." You may be surprised to hear that, until this
process was put into place, the US SIGINT System (USSS) often
1. Bringing Governance
received varied and conflicting national-level requirements and had
to the USSS
no way of pulling everything together.
2. Inquiring Minds ...
What Does
(S//SI) Identifying NSA's missions at a strategic level is critical in
Governance Mean?
order to efficiently allocate limited Agency resources. To discern
3. Mission Discernment
NSA's mission -- Task #1, Responsibility #1 in the Governance
- What's Tops on Our
framework -- SID leadership gathers input on Community
List?
requirements from SINIOs (SIGINT National Intelligence Officers)
4. Mission Assessment and from IMTs (Issue Management Teams) and takes
Rating Our
recommendations on targets of interest from product line heads.
Performance
SID leadership then submits these recommendations to DIRNSA
5. Apportionment of
for his review and signature.*
Strategic Efforts -Our Plan of Attack
(S//SI) Agency leaders and analysts alike can view these missions,
6. Assigning USSS
currently numbering 21, in a document called the USSS Strategic
Resources
Mission List (SML).** The SML comprises targets categorized as "
Focus Areas ;" " Accepted Risks ;" and " Enduring Targets ,"
(currently, 5).*** It is reviewed monthly**** by SID Leadership
and adjusted as necessary, thus providing high-level steerage to
our nation's agile SIGINT System.
(S//SI) For those of you who prefer a chapter-and-verse definition
of " Mission Discernment ," here you are:
" Mission Discernment " is the sorting, prioritization and
evaluation of assigned SIGINT missions and overall
intelligence requirements in concert with Presidential, DOD
and DNI (Director of National Intellience) guidance.
(U) Notes:
* (S//SI) You can learn more about the Mission Discernment
process by viewing the Discerning, Assessing, and Directing
SIGINT Missions briefing.
** (S//SI) Links to these lists appear in the "Missions List,"
appearing at the end of the Mission Discernment document .
*** (S//SI) For more on the SML, see SID today article "Is NSA
Correctly Postured Against the Most Critical Missions?"
**** (S//SI) See the most current - Nov-Dec 2005 - SML.
(U//FOUO) Keep reading SID today for more on Governance!
"(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