Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) celebrates 70 years of service to the Nation.
NSA’s history is shaped by our role in protecting the Nation and our allies from adversaries, and our mission support to the warfighter on land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.
In 1952, then-President Harry Truman issued a Department of Defense (DOD) directive establishing the NSA after recognizing an imperative need to continue U.S. cryptologic efforts that had led to breaking German and Japanese codes in World War II, success against the German U-Boat threat in the North Atlantic, and victory in the Battle of Midway in the Pacific.
The creation of NSA allowed the DOD to consolidate cryptologic support to military operations and to meet challenges that the Nation would face in the future.
Through now seven decades of history, NSA’s dedicated workforce has time and time again answered the call for our Nation and our allies — developing and implementing new technologies while embracing innovation and challenge to maintain cryptologic advantage over our adversaries.
“NSA’s greatest competitive advantage is our people, and 70 years is truly a testament to our world-class workforce — past and present — that works 24/7 to fulfill our critical missions to defend the Nation and secure the future,” GEN Paul M. Nakasone, Commander, USCYBERCOM, Director NSA/Chief, CSS said.
Seventy years since being established, leaders, policymakers, warfighters, law enforcement agencies, Intelligence Community partners, and allies rely on the NSA as the cryptologic authority to provide the critical information they need to defend our country, save lives, and advance U.S. goals and global alliances.
As a member of the DOD and of the Intelligence Community, NSA has been proud to lead the U.S. government in cryptology for the past 70 years, and is dedicated to leading the next 70 years and beyond.
