Editing Conspiracy BBS Archive/nsa-egb (section)

==INITIAL SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES==
 
===Anonymity===
 
Perhaps one of the first security practices with which new NSA
personnel should become acquainted is the practice of anonymity.  In
an open society such as ours, this practice is necessary because
information which is generally available to the public is available
also to hostile intelligence.  Therefore, the Agency mission is best
accomplished apart from public attention.  Basically, anonymity means
that NSA personnel are encouraged not to draw attention to themselves
nor to their association with this Agency.  NSA personnel are also
cautioned neither to confirm nor deny any specific questions about
NSA activities directed to them by individuals not affiliated with
the Agency.
 
The ramifications of the practice of anonymity are rather far
reaching, and its success depends on the cooperation of all Agency
personnel.  Described below you will find some examples of situations
that you may encounter concerning your employment and how you should
cope with them.  Beyond the situations cited, your judgement and
discretion will become the deciding factors in how you respond to
questions about your employment.
 
===Answering Questions About Your Employment===
 
Certainly, you may tell your family and friends that you are employed
at or assigned to the National Security Agency.  There is no valid reason
to deny them this information.  However, you may not disclose to them
any information concerning specific aspects of the Agency's mission,
activities, and organization.  You should also ask them not to
publicize your association with NSA.
 
Should strangers or casual acquaintances question you about your
place of employment, an appropriate reply would be that you work for
the Department of Defense.  If questioned further as to where you are
employed within the Department of Defense, you may reply, "NSA."
When you inform someone that you work for NSA (or the Department of
Defense) you may expect that the next question will be, "What do you
do?"  It is a good idea to anticipate this question and to formulate
an appropriate answer.  Do not act mysteriously about your
employment, as that would only succeed in drawing more attention to
yourself.
 
If you are employed as a secretary, engineer, computer scientist, or
in a clerical, administrative, technical, or other capacity
identifiable by a general title which in no way indicates how your
talents are being applied to the mission of the Agency, it is
suggested that you state this general title.  If you are employed as
a linguist, you may say that you are a linguist, if necessary.
However, you should not indicate the specific language(s) with which
you are involved.
 
The use of service specialty titles which tend to suggest or reveal
the nature of the Agency's mission  or specific aspects of their
work.  These professional titles, such as cryptanalyst, signals
collection officer, and intelligence research analyst, if given
verbatim to an outsider, would likely generate further questions
which may touch upon the classified aspects of your work. Therefore,
in conversation with outsiders, it is suggested that such job titles
be generalized.  For example, you might indicate that you are a
"research analyst."  You may not, however, discuss the specific
nature of your analytic work.
 
===Answering Questions About Your Agency Training===
 
During your career or assignment at NSA, there is a good chance that
you will receive some type of job-related training.  In many
instances the nature of the training is not classified.  However, in
some situations the specialized training you receive will relate
directly to sensitive Agency functions.  In such cases, the nature of
this training may not be discussed with persons outside of this
Agency.
 
If your training at the Agency includes language training, your
explanation for the source of your linguistic knowledge should be
that you obtained it while working for the Department of Defense.
 
You Should not draw undue attention to your language abilities, and
you may not discuss how you apply your language skill at the Agency.
 
If you are considering part-time employment which requires the use of
language or technical skills similar to those required for the
performance of your NSA assigned duties, you must report (in advance)
the anticipated part-time work through your Staff Security Officer
(SSO) to the Office of Security's Clearance Division (M55).
 
===Verifying Your Employment===
 
On occasion, personnel must provide information concerning their
employment to credit institutions in connection with various types of
applications for credit. In such situations you may state, if you are
a civilian employee, that you are employed by NSA and indicate your
pay grade or salary.  Once again, generalize your job title.  If any
further information is desired by persons or firms with whom you may
be dealing, instruct them to request such information by
correspondence addressed to:  Director of Civilian Personnel,
National Security Agency, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland 20755-6000.
Military personnel should use their support group designator and
address when indicating their current assignment.
 
If you contemplate leaving NSA for employment elsewhere, you may be
required to submit a resume/job application, or to participate in
extensive employment interviews.  In such circumstances, you should
have your resume reviewed by the
Classification Advisory Officer (CAO) assigned to your organization.
Your CAO will ensure that any classified operational details of your
duties have been excluded and will provide you with an unclassified
job description.  Should you leave the Agency before preparing such a
resume, you may develop one and send it by registered mail to the
NSA/CSS Information Policy Division (Q43) for review. Remember, your
obligation to protect sensitive Agency information extends beyond
your employment at NSA.
 
===The Agency And Public News Media===
 
From time to time you may find that the agency is the topic of
reports or articles appearing in public news media--newspapers,
magazines, books, radio and TV.  The NSA/CSS Information Policy
Division (Q43) represents the Agency in matters involving the press
and other media.  This office serves at the Agency's official media
center and is the Director's liaison office for public relations,
both in the community and with other government agencies.  The
Information Policy Division must approve the release of all
information for and about NSA, its mission, activities, and
personnel.  In order to protect the aspects of Agency operations, NSA
personnel must refrain from either confirming or denying any
information concerning the Agency or its activities which may appear
in the public media.  If you are asked about the activities of NSA,
the best response is "no comment."  You should the notify Q43 of the
attempted inquiry.  For the most part, public references to NSA are
based upon educated guesses.  The Agency does not normally make a
practice of issuing public statements about its activities.