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Successful Installation of Equipment at Czech FORNSAT Sites

SUMMARY

New voice demodulation and exploitation equipment was installed at two Czech External Intelligence sites “in or near Prague.” After installation, the Czech partner could access other satellite communications signals of potential value to the NSA, including Russian signals.

DOCUMENT’S DATE

Apr 19, 2006

PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

Aug 15, 2018

TAGS

Czech Republic

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Page 1 from Successful Installation of Equipment at Czech FORNSAT Sites
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL (S//SI) Successful Installation of Equipment at Czech FORNSAT Sites FROM: FAD's Europe Office (DP11) Run Date: 04/19/2006 (S//SI) In February 2006, and of the Exploitation Applications Branch (S31232) in Cryptanalysis & Exploitation Services (CES) installed SWORDFISH and NURSESHARK Digital Circuit Multiplication Equipment (DCME) exploitation products at two Czech FORNSAT sites in or near Prague. Even prior to the creation of our formal SIGINT partnership, the Czech External Intelligence Service (UZSI) stated they were unable to process DCME bearers that employ and requested NSA assistance to process these signals. (S//SI) Because giving UZSI this capability would benefit both partners, the decision was made during the June 2005 NSA/UZSI conference that it would be a top priority to help UZSI with processing these signals. Furthermore, and in a spirit of cross-organizational cooperation, CES volunteered to fund the TDY for installation and training. Once the equipment was installed, the Czechs immediately identified other DCME signals (e.g., that they did not know were in the environment. UZSI is now characterizing those newly found signals and will share the information with NSA. The NSA technicians also assisted in the installation of the rad144mp vocoder synthesizer software, which was sent to UZSI in December 2005 and which processes the STOUTHEARTED signal used on the service channel of the Russian satellite. (S//SI) With these new capabilities, UZSI is in a much better position to collaborate with the Counterintelligence and HUMINT Support Product Line (S2D) on Russian counterintelligence targets and to assist NSA in surveying and processing satellite communications that NSA FORNSAT collection assets do not have the priority to survey. (U//FOUO) This article is reprinted from the Foreign Affairs Digest , March edition. "(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