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The National Security Agency outlined its mission and role within the U.S. intelligence and defense apparatus in a media notice that also provided updated press contacts.
“Founded in 1952, NSA is a U.S. Department of War combat support agency and element of the U.S. Intelligence Community,” the agency said in the statement. The Pentagon has been officially known as the Department of Defense since 1949; it was not immediately clear whether the wording in the notice reflected an error or a deliberate choice.
“The Agency’s mission is to provide foreign signals intelligence to policy makers and our military, and to prevent and eradicate cybersecurity threats to U.S. National Security Systems, with a focus on the Defense Industrial Base and the improvement of U.S. weapons’ security,” the statement continued.
Positioning itself at the intersection of intelligence collection and cyber defense, the agency emphasized support for U.S. forces and operations “on land, in the air, at sea, in space, and in the cyber domain,” adding that it is “committed to building public trust through transparency and protecting civil liberties and privacy consistent with our nation’s values.”
