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(TS//SI) Town Meeting: Coordinating the SIGINT Relationship with
Israel
FROM: Antoinette Punzavitz
Data Acquisition Staff (S3)
Run Date: 04/26/2006
(TS//SI) On 29 March 2006, Rick Ledgett, speaking in his capacity as the SIGINT Directorate's
Coordinator for the Israeli Partnership, addressed a near capacity audience in the Friedman
Auditorium, part of the approximately 750 individuals at NSA who work directly or indirectly with
the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU).
(TS//SI) The theme of the town meeting was to stress the need for a coordinated approach
across SID to the NSA-ISNU association, which Mr. Ledgett described as a "complex relationship
with lots of moving parts." So significant is the relationship with this important and sensitive
partner that Mr. Ledgett, the acting Deputy Director for Data Acquisition, estimates that
approximately 27 face-to-face meetings and countless telephone conversations occur yearly
between the ISNU and NSA.
(TS//SI) In such a dynamic environment, the need for a coordinated and cohesive approach is
apparent. The goal of this coordinated approach is to ensure that no opportunities to
appropriately share data are missed and no instances of over-sharing occur. Equally important is
the need for all organizations (FAD, ITD, RAD*, and others) to have visibility into the
relationship and that their common vision reflects the collective viewpoint of the Intelligence
Community (IC). The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is leading an IC-wide approach to
the Community's relationship with Israel, illustrating the intelligence relationship with this
partner has received national attention.
(TS//SI) The next steps in developing this process include:
1. Baseline review of ISNU-related activities, starting with Iran.
2. Regular pre-and post-conference meetings where issues can be examined in depth.
3. Documentation (of events) that is meaningful but not onerous to maintain.
(U//FOUO) Implementing these steps will begin the process of a SID-wide coordinated approach
to the relationship with this long-term and valuable partner, whose importance to US interests in
the Middle East can not be overstated.
(U) Notes:
FAD = Foreign Affairs Directorate
ITD = Information Technology Directorate
RAD = Research Directorate
"(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