DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
(S//SI) Tool Proves Invaluable in Providing Actionable Intelligence in
Iraq
FROM:
Acting Chief, Expeditionary Advocates Branch (S14E2)
Run Date: 01/27/2006
(TS//SI//REL) Every day, Coalition combat troops in Northern Iraq rely on the capabilities of the
QUADRASPECTRE (QS) tool to target and capture adversaries. Operators use this tool to identify
active targets, find their locations, and track their movement patterns. The operators then tip
this intelligence to combat units -- paying great dividends. To date, QS is credited with
contributing to the killing or capture of over 400 insurgents, 263 over the past seven months in
the Nineveh Province alone. It has even led to the discovery of an improvised explosive device
intended to harm Coalition troops.
(TS//SI//REL) You may have read of QS in previous SIDtoday articles, but do you really know
what it is? QS and the newly created QUADRASPECTRE - PRIME (QSP) are GSM*-data query
and display tools that accept metadata collected by multiple Digital Receiver Technologies,
Inc. receivers (DRTs) and present it to the user in a format conducive to analysis. QS and
QSP were built to meet a need for timely access to collected information that was not available
with the current national databases, which were not designed for near-real-time operations.
(TS//SI//REL) This tool kit replicates the functionality of a number of other systems in a single,
coherent interface that incorporates DRT tasking, call chaining, SMS viewing, current/recent
handset activity, and handset history. The primary features of QSP are:
Receives Chronolog Events in near-real-time from connected DRT GSM collection
systems
Extracts/Displays near-real-time SMS for threat warning, tipping, and reporting
Displays GSM HVT (High-Value Target) location/activity updates in near-real-time
Exports events to ArcView and creates a call event matrix
Multi-site collection statistics
On-demand call chaining
(TS//SI//REL) For most operations, as soon as a target's bed-down location is identified and the
target is seen active in communications at that location, it is only a matter of minutes to hours
before the target is captured. This is made possible through close coordination among the
Cryptologic Services Team (CST), 172nd Stryker Brigade, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and
Task Force 145 elements using the QS. QS can be used to tip GOSSAMER (a portable GSM
interrogator) operators or other types of GSM geolocation tools, so they can provide
geolocation on a target and direct take-down teams to the target in real time.
(TS//SI//REL) On 5 March 2005, the Stryker SIGINT Cell intercepted Short Message Service
(SMS) from a remote site detailing that two Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF) were in the act of setting up
a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (RCIED). The rapid translation of this message,
coupled with quick locational analysis, resulted in the RCIED being taken out before it could be
employed against Coalition forces. This was the very first time that SMS was exploited in
real time by a tactical Army unit to provide threat warning or force protection.
(TS//SI//REL) More recently, the new QUADRASPECTE-PRIME tool has gone into service, with
eleven sites connected at present. QSP was designed in the field by analysts and built by NSA
experts, with coordination among CW3 Mark "Al" Mollenkopf (creator of QS and QSP), S14 , S3,
MOC , CST Mosul, and ACO (Army Cryptologic Office). The new version has the ability to conduct
parallel processing and conduct correlations for multiple network providers.
(TS//SI//REL) The plan is to bring the remaining tethered DRT GSM collection sites in Iraq
online gradually, to ensure the server can handle the large amount of data being fed into it. This
will enable near-real-time target tracking throughout Iraq, target handover between different
areas of operation, and greater insight into target movements, target patterns, and target
associations. This is truly the future of SIGINT targeting and SIGINT support to the warfighter.
(U) This is Expeditionary SIGINT at its finest!
(U) For additional information, see the QSP portal .
(U) POC:
CW2
,
, (NSTS)
(NSTS)
.
or
*(U) Notes:
GSM = Global System for Mobile Communications
(U) See also the following related SIDtoday articles that mention QUADRASPECTRE:
(S) Success Against al-Zarqawi's Group in Northern Iraq
(S) Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld Is Briefed on SIGINT and the Role of SCS Mosul
"(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