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(U//FOUO) Interns Now Contributing from Day One
FROM:
Intelligence Analysis Intern
Run Date: 04/07/2006
(U//FOUO) Maybe it has been a few years since you EOD'd to the Agency (the
one North of DC). Maybe you have forgotten the uncertainty that surrounds the
interview process when questions like "So, what will I be doing?" are met with
"I can't tell you, just trust me, take a leap of faith, move your family, start a
new life, buy a house you can't afford, and get out of your comfort zone...it will
be just fine." So, like so many before me and at the tender age of 31, I
embarked on a new career in the Top Secret world of intelligence.
(U//FOUO) An applicant's mind can swirl with thoughts of what the job will
entail once when we actually start (6 to 24 months later). Will it be more like
Dilbert or Star Wars? Will I reprogram satellites in my lunch hour or will I spend
all day dividing paper into neat stacks? I finally decided that my first year and a half (of my
three-year program) would be spent mostly training and learning a language and that I would
not really get started until my second year.
(U//FOUO) Yeah right! Instead, I found myself right in the thick of things from day one.
(C) The reality is that members of the Intelligence Analysis Development Program are
increasingly becoming significant contributors to offices within the National Security Agency. As
the volume of traffic increases and as more and more countries gain technologies, IADP
members are being asked to alleviate the load of analysis and reporting that is
needed. Perhaps in the past, IADP members were able to use their first year and a half to focus
on training and learning from mentors, but, today, we are needed to aide in prosecuting critical
targets within weeks of arriving.
That First Tour (U):
(TS) So, there I was... 10 years since I had touched a biology book. My undergraduate degree
was in biology, but I had worked in computers ever since. So, of course, my first tour was in
Combating Proliferation (S2G13 - Current Intel), working the al-Qa'ida anthrax program. Not
quite satellites, but not really Dilbert either.
(TS) The next six months were eventful to say the least. The world of CP-CT (Counterterrorism)
is high tempo as we engaged in "looking for a needle in a stack of needles." It is not enough to
identify someone as a bad guy, but rather identify the ones that are engaging in actively
pursuing WMDs. CP-CT has been described as the nexus where the worst people get the worst
weapons.
(TS) During that time I was able to collaborate with other partners within the IC, including:
CIA, FBI, SCS, GCHQ, DSD*;
non-IC partners such as working groups within the National Counterterrorism Center
(NCTC) and National Labs; and
many in-house resources such as Forensics, S2C22, S2I, HS2G13, and S2G31.**
What I found was a great group of dedicated professionals who were willing to put in their piece
of the puzzle. I'm not sure who came up with the idea that government work is slow, but they
probably never worked around here.
Current Events (U):
(S) By the end of my first six-month tour, I had experienced a whirlwind of new tools, agencies,
and programs within NSA. As a result of everyone's collaborative efforts, partnerships were
forged, collection was sustained, and reports were issued on Biological Warfare targets. I was
even able to travel to Hawaii to discuss BW targets living in Southeast Asia with NSA/CSS
Hawaii and members of DSD's CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear) group.
(S//SI) Since that time, I have adjusted to the pace of life here at the NSA. I am currently
working in the India Branch of Regional Targets where we are looking for sustained accesses to
Indian leadership communications (in a country where face-to-face is the norm). As of today,
my nine months have offered me the opportunity to work with some great people, learn from
model mentors, and attend many training classes. Some of my favorites have been the
Foundstone Ultimate Hacking class and a Terrorist Training Camp (but that is another story).
(S//SI) At the live-fire range during the mock terrorist training camp
Conclusion (U):
(U) I am only one of 290(ish) IADP (Intelligence Analysis Development Program) members who
are scattered out around the globe. Some are in places with cuddly kangaroos, some are
downtown, some are in Georgia, and some are in places that are really hot and dangerous. The
fact is, our program has some of the smartest people that I have ever worked with who
constantly raise the bar. The Agency is giving us the opportunity to do good things, and
that's really all I wanted when I came on board.
(U) My time is up, I thank you for yours.
(S//SI) Notes:
* SCS = Special Collection Service
GCHQ = the UK's Government Communications HQ
DSD = Australia's Defence Signals Directorate
** S2C22 = Follow the Money
S2I = Counterterrorism
HS2G13 = Hawaii/Combating Proliferation
S2G31 = Focused Target Development
"(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