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(S//SI) German, NSA SIGINTers Share DNI Processing Knowledge
FROM:
and
SUSLAG (Special US Liaison Activity Germany)
Run Date: 05/22/2006
(S//SI) A BND* delegation responsible for building BND's next generation DNI (Digital Network
Intelligence)- processing architecture visited the Joint SIGINT Activity (JSA) in late February for
two days of discussions to learn more about NSA's DNI architecture. The JSA, an operational
element of the Special US Liaison Activity Germany (SUSLAG), is a joint SIGINT development,
collection, and exploitation site manned by German and US personnel.
(S//SI) BND analysts discussed their processing architecture, which is largely based on NSA's
old P25 and P26 GRANDMASTER prototypes. Their focus is primarily e-mail processing,
specifically SMTP e-mail. Spam filters are used to manage large data volumes. Selected traffic is
passed through an automated privacy protection system, ensuring that analysts cannot view
German-protected traffic. On-site BND analysts then manually assess all selected traffic to
determine potential intelligence value.
(S//SI) In conducting this evaluation, they do not prioritize the selected traffic by target or
keyword. Instead they focus on e-mails carrying attachments with the goal to scan e-mails as
quickly as possible to increase their throughput. E-mails that are determined to be of potential
intelligence value are then forwarded to BND HQS for follow-on evaluation and reporting.
(S//SI) NSA intelligence analysts discussed NSA's SIGINT Development model, NSA's "Hunt
versus Gather" philosophy, our multi-stage selection and filtering process, and the evolution of
DNI processing systems from GRANDMASTER to WEALTHYCLUSTER and, in the future, TURMOIL
. The BND appeared especially interested in the TURMOIL approach of scanning and making
judgments at the packet level prior to any sessionizing.
(S//SI) In summary, NSA and BND use opposite selection and filtering approaches.
Where NSA primarily relies on equipment for selection (e.g. BLACKNIGHT) and analyst
minimization for privacy protection, the BND relies on analysts to manually scan traffic for
selection, and then equipment to filter data for privacy protection. Full use of current NSA DNI
processing systems and analysis methodologies at JSA will be key to influencing the BND to alter
their strategic DNI processing approach.
*(U) Note: BND = Germany's Bundesnachrichtendienst (the Federal Intelligence Service)
(U) This article is reprinted from the Foreign Affairs Digest , April edition.
"(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