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How NSA Is Prepared for the Winter Olympics (Which Kick Off Tomorrow)

SUMMARY

NSA is ready for yet another Olympics in the geographically challenging Italian alps. A SCIF has been set up and analyst deployed to Turin and the National Counterterrorism Center in Virginia. Though the Italians are deemed better at providing security than the Greeks were in Athens, NSA will be "monitoring host government communications to verify security planning, performance and sharing of threat information."

DOCUMENT’S DATE

Feb 09, 2006

PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

Aug 15, 2018

TAGS

Italy

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Page 1 from How NSA Is Prepared for the Winter Olympics (Which Kick Off Tomorrow)
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL (S//REL) How NSA Is Prepared for the Winter Olympics (Which Kick Off Tomorrow) FROM: SIGINT National Intelligence Officer (SINIO) for Europe (S17) Run Date: 02/09/2006 (S//REL) When First Lady Laura Bush represents the United States as the Olympic flame is lit at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin (Torino), Italy, on Friday, 10 February, an extensive intelligence network will be in place to support her visit, the U.S. Olympic Team, other U.S. citizens and interests throughout the games (10-26 February, followed by Paralympics 10-19 March). NSA's SIGINT and Information Assurance missions have been an integral part of the planning that began as soon as the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens ended. (S//REL) The challenges for Turin have been different than for Athens or previous Olympics. Most of the Olympic venues are dispersed in a remote mountainous region outside Turin -- far from the U.S. Embassy in Rome (seven hours away) and the U.S. Consulate in Milan (over two hours away), and transportation is limited by narrow mountain roads. NSA has provided secure facilities and communications to pass SIGINT to U.S. officials in Turin responsible for security there and to help them connect to their headquarters. (C) No credible threats to the Olympic games have been identified thus far, though Sunni extremists and anarchists/environmentalist extremists -- both indigenous and international -pose potential threats. At this point, soft targets such as tourist attractions not directly associated with the Olympics are considered most vulnerable. Any threat to Italy is regarded as a threat to the Olympics. (TS//SI//REL) NSA support consists of SIGINT, secure communications, and information assurance. NSA target offices, the extended enterprise, and our SIGINT partners will all be involved in providing SIGINT about terrorist threats. NSA will also be responsible for monitoring host government communications to verify security planning, performance and sharing of threat information. The U.S. Government has consistently assessed the Italian Government's capability to provide security for the Olympics as much greater than the Greek Government's for Athens-and this has shaped requirements for the Intelligence Community. (TS//SI//REL) The primary enhancements to the SIGINT system have been upgrades to SCS Rome for FORNSAT and VOICESAIL collection and the establishment of an SCS survey site in Milan. The already strong SIGINT partnership with Italy was expanded as NSA provided SIGINT lead information more frequently to our Italian SIGINT partner. The multinational SIGINT threat warning networks that were established for the Athens Olympics have been activated. Through these two networks, the SIGINT Seniors/Europe threat network and the Coalition Threat Network (CTN), the SIGINT capabilities of up to 36 of our partners , anchored by our major European SIGINT partners, will provide round-the-clock threat warning to the Italians. (S//REL) NSA personnel have deployed to three centers to provide integrated support to U.S. policymakers, U.S. law enforcement and security personnel in Turin, and the Government of Italy. The NSA analysts are providing on-site expertise about NSA product/capabilities and ensure that new situations are identified to NSA to leverage and steer collection and analysis. (S//REL) Four analysts have deployed to the Olympics Joint Fusion Center (OJFC) at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), at Liberty Crossing in northern Virginia. The OJFC provides in-depth analysis and situational awareness to US customers and is staffed by NCTC, OSC (the State Department-run Olympics Security Coordination office), NGA, NSA, FBI, CIA, and DIA. The JFC began 24-hour operations on 5 February. (S//REL) Four analysts have deployed to Turin as part of the OSC. NSA constructed a small Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) in the OSC's Threat Integration Center (TIC) that became operational on 5 February to provide Top Secret secure communications as the
Page 2 from How NSA Is Prepared for the Winter Olympics (Which Kick Off Tomorrow)
OSC went 24/7 on 6 Feb. NCTC, NGA, NSA, FBI, CIA, Department of State, EUCOM and Secret Service are present with NSA in the TIC to provide situational awareness and support to U.S. law enforcement and security elements in OSC's Joint Operations Center (JOC). (S//REL) The NSA Olympics coordinator and four analysts have deployed to Rome as part of an Intelligence Center (GALILEO) set up by the Chief of Station to be the single channel for passing Olympics threat information to the Italian Government through the Italian Intelligence and Military Security Service (SISMI). GALILEO will be staffed by NCTC, NGA, NSA, DIA, FBI, CIA, Department of State, and EUCOM and started 24/7 operations on 8 February. (S//REL) NSA's secure communications provided for GALILEO and Turin are underpinned by additional deployed technical personnel (3 in GALILEO, 2 in Turin). In addition, Information Assurance produced a tailored Operational Security (OPSEC) video and awareness material to sensitize U.S. participants to the OPSEC threat in Turin. (S//REL) Contacts/further info: At NSA, S17 (Strategic Intelligence Issues) is responsible for coordinating Olympics support. The Olympics Campaign Desk (OCD) in NSOC is focal point for 24-hour Olympics support issues. Points of Contact can be reached through the E-Mail alias DL Olympics_Leads. The OCD can be reached through the E-Mail alias DL cd2 or on NSTS The NSA Support Plan for the Torino 2006 Olympic Games documents the extensive collaboration undertaken to support the Olympics. (C) Secure comms are up, collection tasking is in place, intel is flowing and the ice is cold -- Let The Games Begin! (U) Italian Corazzieri, the president's elite guards, watch over the Olympic flame at the Quirinale Palace in Rome -- Dec 05 (Reuters) "(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