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(U//FOUO) What's It Like to Work as an Integree in Canberra?
FROM:
Intelligence Analysis Intern
Run Date: 12/15/2006
(U//FOUO) SIDtoday asked intern
SIGINT peers in Australia...
to describe her experience working with our
(U) G'day mates! Ever considered heading "down unda"? Well, then, read on because this is the
article for you!
(U//FOUO) I returned to NSA in March 2006 after four months as an integree at the Defence
Signals Directorate (DSD) in Canberra, Australia. For those of you who don't know (I know I
didn't) Canberra is the capital of Australia, and is situated about 3 hours drive south of Sydney
and 2 hours west of the coast. It is a town of about 300,000 people so there is all the
excitement of a big city--theater, fine dining, sporting events--with a small-town feel where the
bus network makes it easy to get around and the bus drivers greet you "G'day."
(U) View of Canberra from the Telstra Tower, a local landmark
(TS//SI//REL) At the end of my second year in the Intelligence Analysis Development Program
(IADP), I was selected to travel to Australia to work side-by-side with Counterterrorism (CT)
analysts at DSD. From November 2005 to March 2006, I was one of three SigDev* analysts on
the Jemaah Islamiyah Philippines team. We worked with three linguists to track the movement
of several tier 1 CT targets by targeting their GSM communications. I saw how our second party
partner relies on NSA's analytic tools, but I also became familiar with some DSD-specific tools
and analytic skills.
(TS//SI//REL) One of the tasks the Aussies are required to complete is to constantly update a
database that documents:
new selectors for targets,
all reporting on the target, and
links to other individuals who are connected to the key players within the specific
terrorist organization.
This made it easy for me, as someone new to the target, to quickly get up to speed by having
access to all known information pertaining to specific individuals at my fingertips.
(S//SI//REL) DSD is different from NSA in many ways, the most obvious of which is their size.
DSD only has around 1,200 people, with about 60 people authorized to work CT, compared to
the hundreds working CT at NSA. The Aussies also consider socializing an important part of their
day; they have morning tea (commonly referred to as "mornos") on a regular basis, as well as
"DSD Happy Hour" every other Thursday when payday rolls around. Their large atrium gets
converted into a bar with fellow analysts serving beer, wine, and soft drinks to their co-workers
who chatted freely in the classified environment.
(U) The Australian War Memorial
(C) Since I was lucky enough to be in Australia during their summer (seasons are opposite from
those here) AND lucky enough to be allowed to observe both U.S. and Australian holidays, I was
able to do quite a bit of traveling. DSD almost completely shuts down during the week of
Christmas to New Years, so during that time I traveled north to Cairns where I snorkeled at the
Great Barrier Reef. I also explored the rainforest and visited a crocodile farm before traveling
south to Sydney on New Year's Eve to see the fireworks go off over their famous Opera House.
(S//SI//REL) Over "Australia Day weekend" in January I headed to New Zealand's southern
island where I went white-water rafting and took a boat cruise, where I saw dolphins, seals, and
penguins. I also visited Melbourne during a long weekend, and was invited by a DSD manager to
visit one of Australia's collection sites in Darwin (on the northern coast of Australia).
(U) The author with a koala.
(U) The best part of my Australian experience was definitely the people I met. From my coworkers with their superb hospitality to the locals who were always quick to help me find my
way around, the Aussies made me feel at home even when I was a 25-hour flight away.
(S//REL)
will be graduating from the IADP in early 2007. She has completed
tours in International Crime and Narcotics, Counterterrorism, and Regional Targets (Pakistan
Internal Security team). Feel free to email her at
@nsa with any questions about DSD
and/or life in Australia.
*(U) Note:
(U//FOUO) SigDev is short for "Sigint Development," one of the three required tours IADP
participants must complete during their three years in the program. Other required tours are
reporting and research.
(U) For another view of life in Canberra, see the "SID Around the World" article Letter from Oz .
"(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