National Security Agency

#StoriesofNSA - #Retired - They came to the Agency via different paths. She studied Russian and French in college. Her parents were language teachers and she had travelled a lot as a kid, so travel was something she thought she might enjoy as a profession. Then she got recruited by the Agency her senior year and the rest is history. Little did she know that NSA would enable her to see the world and fulfill her traveling dreams.  He was 18 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Assigned to a destroyer, he set out on a different type of travel, deploying around the world on his ship as a weapons system specialist. One night on duty, he read a news article about a shortage of Russian linguists in the U.S. government. This helped convince him to pursue a college degree after four years at sea. He then sought a career as an Intelligence Analyst, so it was a dream come true when he was hired. They met at work when they were both assigned to the same Division as Russian analysts. Soon the Soviet threat lessened as the Berlin Wall came down, and they started looking to do something different just as the Balkans War broke out. They both volunteered to work rotating shifts in the National Security Operations Center. This allowed them to get a new perspective on the breadth and depth of the Agency’s work and discover many other areas available for them to work.  Eventually, this led to their first move outside Maryland. They volunteered for three-month tours to Europe, and that was followed soon afterwards by an amazing four-year tour in Hawaii. In all, they completed four multi-year field assignments, coming back to HQ for a number of years between each tour. They would leverage those expanded personal networks and experiences when they returned back to headquarters, to the greater benefit of all. Their careers also allowed them to travel on short trips around the world, definitely satisfying their wanderlust.  Beyond their excitement to experience work and life in new and different areas, the deep and permanent friendships they made in each office was an unexpected benefit. In the field, relying on colleagues from all areas of the agency to work together is key, so they got to know those people and their families really well. Their own families visited them at all of their field locations and that created very special memories, especially with their parents who were retired at the time.   They truly enjoyed their careers and never regretted working together. Beyond the shared experiences, it was always fun for them to run into each other unexpectedly at meetings and in the hallways or take coffee breaks and lunch together. It still amazes them that they worked for the U.S. government for close to four decades. The wide variety of work and other opportunities, like professional training, that NSA offered really got them hooked. And that combined with the mission satisfaction and great friendships kept them there.

Gen Tim Haugh, Commander, USCYBERCOM, Director, NSA/Chief, CSS remembers former President Jimmy Carter. Read his statement here: https://lnkd.in/eZvM7tFq

We believe in giving back to the communities that support us. In addition to government-wide initiatives like Feds Feed Families and the Combined Federal Campaign, we have a robust volunteer program that encourages our workforce to go out into their communities and try to make a difference.

In case you missed it, this summer we started featuring two sets of puzzles on our social media feeds and website. No Such Puzzle is posted every Saturday morning—with the solution coming out Sunday evening—and features a variety of challenges like Sudoku, word association, and more. The Headline Puzzle, which recently celebrated it’s 60th anniversary, originally started as a puzzle for the NSA workforce, but is now posted at the beginning of the month for the public. Previous puzzles and solutions can be found on our website https://lnkd.in/dwY7H7Ce.

In case you missed it, we released or updated over 40 cybersecurity products this year. We shared critical information with network defenders, network engineers, and system administrators to help them detect and mitigate threat activity as well as harden defenses against future threats. Find our guidance here: https://lnkd.in/es6Ywcxt

As a third-generation NSA employee and a millennial who works in talent development, Arielle D. focuses on how to reach younger generations while drawing on values instilled in her from her family’s legacy of service at NSA. Read more about why she’s being recognized as a Woman of Influence by a peer and by InHerSight. https://bit.ly/41rTBnO

In case you missed it, NSA’s podcast—No Such Podcast—premiered this fall. In our first season, we shared information about our two core missions of foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity, as well as other aspects of what it’s like to work at NSA. If you haven’t already, check out the first episode to learn how our foreign SIGINT expertise helped the U.S. Government’s hunt for Osama bin Ladin, and follow up with the second episode to learn why cybersecurity is national security. Let us know what you think of our first season and if you have any ideas for future episodes.

#StoriesofNSA - #Retired - My path to NSA was circuitous. I joined the Air Force and as it happened, they were looking for people to enter the intelligence field at that time. After doing well on their tests, they give me a year of training in Texas and Fort Meade, and then I went to Scotland and served for two years. After discharge, I finished college with NSA in my sights and I was one of twenty new people hired into the intern program. We all bonded together as new employees and stayed in contact throughout our careers (35 years in my case). It really helped to have some peers that you could call on for help and advice. I was a jogger and would sometimes leave the building to jog at lunch, then come back and shower in the basement to be courteous. Once, I forgot to put my badge on before walking back to my office and a security officer corralled me. Then he called my coworker to verify my identity and escorted me back to my gym locker. Plus I had to do remediation training. They are indeed serious about security! Interns were being trained as the future leaders of the agency so, during our three year internship, we were exposed to six different working environments with six different management styles, different missions, etc. One day, there was a request from the White House to provide a brief to them. It was late in the day and overtime was approved. This was a big deal for a GS7. So, three of us stayed through the night, got the report done and when I got my paycheck, I bought a brand new color TV. The people I worked with were dedicated and patriotic, willing to do whatever was necessary to get the job done. I even met my wife going through management training. Another major benefit of NSA employment is the tremendous travel opportunities. People in Maryland know about HQ and probably think everything gets done there. I personally got to go TDY to 10 or 11 locations, including both Alaska and Hawaii. I got to take 3-year tours to Europe as well. There were so many non-work benefits to that. In Europe, you can so easily travel anywhere. And when your work environment is small, you know everybody and their families. For example, when we were there, everyone who wasn’t going home for Thanksgiving would all go to a Swiss chalet together. We really enjoyed it there and shared a huge community meal. It was the kind of unforgettable experience you wouldn’t get normally get at HQ. I've been retired for 20 years to a small New Hampshire town where I knew nobody. When I introduced myself to new people, I still would find myself saying I worked for ‘the DoD’ and ‘Fort Meade.’ Some things never change.

Gather your friends, sharpen your minds, and let’s see who can crack the code! The time is here to compete in NSA’s Codebreaker Challenge. Now through January 17, you can dive into the world of cryptography and challenge yourself with a series of intriguing puzzles that will put your logic and creativity to the ultimate test. Participants must be enrolled at a U.S. college or institution. Register now: https://lnkd.in/dMNBbMv

With a technical mission as broad as ours, every week is Computer Science Education Week at NSA. We’re more than happy to teach our employees new applications and techniques through in-house training, classes and more.