DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
(U//FOUO) SIGINT Architecture: Why Do We Need One?
FROM: Michael McNamee
Chief, SIGINT Systems Engineering (S01A)
Run Date: 05/08/2006
(U//FOUO) In most large-scale human endeavors a common and coherent vision is critical to
success. The primary purpose of the SIGINT portion of the NSA/CSS enterprise architecture is to
communicate a clear and coherent vision of the future SIGINT system and its capabilities to
developers, managers making investment decisions, program managers and external
stakeholders. With this in mind, SIGINT System Engineering has been working with SID line
organizations, ITD , developers and Technical Directors to create an agreed-upon minimum
set of design principles embodied by the architecture products indicated below.
(U//FOUO) However, architectures are seldom complete and must be agile to cope with
changing target threats and evolving external partner architectures, and the team will work
together to update the architecture to address new technological solutions such as the on-going
TURBULENCE and PRESSUREWAVE development activities.
(U//FOUO) There are several reasons to develop architectures. Can you pass this test?
True or False:
1. It's the law - Congress and OMB (Office of Management and Budget) have mandated that
all federal agencies produce enterprise architectures compliant with the Federal
Enterprise Architecture (FEA) and expect that development activities be aligned to the
respective architectures.
2. The Clinger Cohen Act requires that federal Agencies develop an enterprise architecture
for Automated Information Systems and show how investment in the capabilities improve
performance or reduce the total cost of ownership.
3. Beginning in 1998, the Defense Department (DoD) mandated the C4ISR* architecture
framework to increase systems interoperability and information flow down to the
warfighter.
4. Architecture communicates the roadmap ahead to managers and the development
workforce, reducing duplicative development, driving down integration costs and reducing
development risk.
(U//FOUO) ANSWER: All the above are true. Question #4 provides the fundamental goal of
having all within an organization working towards common development objectives and making
coherent investment decisions.
(U//FOUO) Furthermore, the DoD and Intelligence Community have directed the use of a Service
Oriented Architecture (SOA) and implementing web services to enable interoperability. The job
of SIGINT System Engineering will be to continue to work with developers in the line
organizations to document and update the development roadmap ahead.
(U//FOUO) Program managers and developers throughout SID and ITD as well as Lane Managers
will need to ensure that contracts and design decisions reflect the SV-4, OV-7, TV-1 and security
guidelines at the below links:
OV-5 "To-Be" Baseline Architecture Operational Activity Model OV-5
SV-4 "To-Be" Baseline Architecture System Data Flow
OV-7 "To-Be" Baseline Architecture Logical Data Model
TV-1 "To-Be" Baseline Architecture Logical Data Model
Information Security Architecture Guidelines
(U) The point of contact for this article is
DE3 (Architecture Governance)
*(U) Note:
C4ISR is Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and
Reconnaissance
"(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