1. Signals Intelligence and the NSA By: Marc Gummerson

2. Signals Intelligence Signals Intelligence is a type of intelligence gathering that involves the interception of signals. These signals have traditionally been either electronic (ELINT) or communication (COMINT). ELINT is usually GPS data and other non-communications related information. COMINT is emails, phone conversations, and all other forms of communication that could contain valuable information.

3. The NSA The National Security Agency is an agency within the Department of Defense and their main role is the managing of signals intelligence. Their headquarters are in Fort Meade, Maryland. It is a short distance from the nations capitol and contains a highly advanced super computer that stores and sorts the incoming information. They were founded in 1952 and played a major role in the Cold War and in the current War on Terror.

4. From a distance, the NSA Building looks like a regular office building, but it is specially designed to be both physically and electronically impenetrable. Its glass walls are specifically made to keep sounds and signals within the building to prevent espionage and eavesdropping. NSA Headquarters

5. At the hefty price tag of $25 million dollars, FROSTBURG was the super computer used by the NSA from 1991 to 1997. It has 512 processing nodes and a total of 500 billion 32-bit words of storage. FROSTBURG Super Computer

6. Bibliography Aid, M. M., & Wiebes, C. (2001). Introduction: The Importance of Signals intelligence in the Cold War. Intelligence & National Security, 16(1), 1. National Security Agency. (2013, December 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:56, December 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Security_Agency&oldid=584602790 FROSTBURG. (2013, August 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:58, December 5, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=FROSTBURG&oldid=569195597