A collection of eight National Security Agency technology forecasting studies, spanning topics from privacy and anonymity to brain-network interfaces, advanced antennas and terahertz electronics, has been released through the Freedom of Information Act after a request that dated back to May 25, 2011.

The original FOIA request sought ten documents described as “Point Forecasts issued by the Futures Intelligence Team.” The requested studies covered solid-state lighting for wireless communications, human interaction with computer networks, antenna technology, energy storage and ultrathin electronics, post-Moore’s Law materials, terahertz microelectronics, harvested power, bio-inspired computing, privacy and anonymity, and position-location technologies.

The documents requested sought the following titles:

• Using Solid-State Lighting for Wireless Communications
• The Human Side of the Net
• Antenna Technologies
• Point Forecast for Small Energy Storage and Ultrathin Electronics
• What’s Beyond Moore’s Law
• Terahertz Solid-State Microelectronics
• Harvested Power and the Need
• Bio-Inspired Computing
• Privacy and Anonymity
• Position Location

NSA’s response, dated August 29, 2026, came more than 15 years after the request was filed. The agency stated that some responsive documents were being released with information withheld and that one 228-page document was withheld in its entirety. NSA did not identify that document by title.

According to the response, the 228-page document remained “currently and properly classified” under Executive Order 13526, resulting in its withholding under FOIA Exemption 1. NSA also cited Exemption 3 for information protected by federal statutes, specifically Title 18 U.S.C. §798, Title 50 U.S.C. §3024(i), and Section 6 of Public Law 86-36. Personal information was withheld under Exemption 6. The agency further stated that the Department of Energy requested withholding of certain information under Exemptions 6 and 7, with those portions identified as “OGA,” or Other Government Agency.

The eight studies now archived by The Black Vault correspond to eight of the ten titles specifically identified in the 2011 FOIA request. The two requested titles not represented in the released collection are Bio-Inspired Computing and Position Location. The available FOIA response does not identify which requested title corresponds to the 228-page document withheld in full, so it cannot be established from the records whether that document was Bio-Inspired Computing, Position Location, or both. Accordingly, the record establishes only that ten titles were requested, eight are represented in this release, and one unidentified 228-page responsive document was withheld in its entirety.

A Window Into NSA Technology Forecasting

Although the subjects vary considerably, the documents belong together for a specific reason: they were produced as forward-looking assessments intended to examine technologies that could affect national-security missions.

One of the earliest records in the collection, the 2002 Privacy and Anonymity study, provides unusually direct context for that effort. Its preface states that NSA’s Technology Forecasting Program was established to “anticipate the impact of advancing technologies on NSA’s mission.” It describes a process under which analysts examined emerging technologies, market trends and research activity to identify technologies that could affect future operations.

Later reports show national laboratories playing a significant role in that process. Several were produced by Sandia National Laboratories for NSA’s Research Transformation activities, while others were prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The documents often combine scientific literature reviews, technology assessments, commercial-market analysis, international research comparisons and forecasts of capabilities several years into the future.

What emerges is not a single research program devoted to one technology. Instead, the papers provide snapshots of what government technology analysts considered potentially consequential at different points between 2002 and 2010: how humans might interact directly with networks, how tiny autonomous devices could power themselves, whether visible light could carry wireless data, what might replace traditional semiconductor scaling, how terahertz systems could be miniaturized, and how advances in antennas could reshape sensing and communications.

Below are the eight released records.

The Released Documents

Privacy and Anonymity: A Technology Forecast, 29 October 2002 [44 Pages, 11.671MB]

This NSA Information Assurance Research Group forecast examines privacy and anonymity at a moment when Internet use, electronic commerce, digital communications and government surveillance were rapidly expanding. Rather than treating privacy and anonymity as technologies themselves, the report examines them as rights and policy concerns being reshaped by technology. Written shortly after the September 11 attacks, it places particular emphasis on the tension between personal privacy and national security. The document reviews U.S. and European privacy law and discusses technologies with significant privacy implications, including Wi-Fi, Secure Socket Layer, public-key infrastructure, virtual private networks, intrusion-detection systems, biometrics, Microsoft’s Passport and Palladium initiatives, anonymous remailers and Internet anonymizers.

The report also addresses the issue specifically from NSA’s perspective. It acknowledges a fundamental tension between protecting privacy and anonymity and conducting intelligence operations intended to penetrate those protections when directed against authorized foreign targets. The forecast concludes that technological solutions alone cannot resolve privacy concerns and that legal and policy protections will remain important. It also anticipates that improvements in privacy- and anonymity-enhancing technologies could make NSA’s intelligence mission “more challenging and expensive,” while potentially assisting—or complicating—the Agency’s information-assurance responsibilities.

What’s Beyond Moore’s Law: Emerging Research Materials, May 2009 [91 Pages, 26.229MB]

This technical assessment examines what might happen as conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) scaling approaches physical and engineering limits. Rather than assuming that increasing transistor density could continue indefinitely through conventional silicon technology, the report evaluates emerging materials and fabrication techniques that might sustain the historical trajectory associated with Moore’s Law. Topics include advanced lithography, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanowires, macromolecules, directed self-assembly, spin materials, complex metal oxides, interfaces and heterointerfaces, along with computational modeling and simulation. Its stated objective is to forecast the sustainability of Moore’s Law through 2030 and beyond.

The report develops three broad scenarios: carbon-based nanoelectronics replacing or supplementing silicon; complex metal oxides assuming a larger role in future devices; or silicon remaining dominant while the historical rate of Moore’s Law gradually declines. Its forecast anticipated a difficult transitional period as conventional CMOS scaling weakened before replacement technologies became sufficiently mature. The report identified carbon-based nanoelectronics—particularly graphene and carbon nanotubes—as an important potential route beyond conventional silicon, while explicitly recognizing major unresolved technical problems. Its long-range projections, including terahertz-range single-core performance and trillions of transistors per chip by around 2030, are forecasts made from the technological perspective of the report’s period rather than statements of present-day capability.

Technology Point Forecast: Terahertz Solid-State Microelectronics, April 2009 [109 Pages, 22.913MB]

Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories, this report assesses efforts to develop practical solid-state electronic components operating in the terahertz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which it generally defines for its purposes as approximately 0.5 to 5 THz. The document describes terahertz frequencies as occupying a technological gap between microwave electronics and infrared photonics: conventional transistor-based electronics become increasingly difficult at the upper end, while conventional photonic technologies encounter limitations approaching from higher frequencies. The forecast evaluates research aimed at creating compact, manufacturable solid-state sources and detectors capable of closing that gap.

The report contrasts this goal with existing tube-based terahertz sources, which could provide useful performance but carried substantial disadvantages in size, weight, operating voltage, power requirements and mechanical complexity. It cites, for example, a 2.5-THz molecular gas laser developed for NASA’s Aura satellite as evidence that rugged terahertz systems were possible, while noting the substantial engineering expense involved. The forecast therefore focuses on solid-state approaches and assesses competing research directions, technical hurdles, anticipated component requirements and leading research groups worldwide, with an eye toward applications relevant to national security, defense and intelligence.

Overview of Harvested Power and the Need, April 2009 [37 Pages, 12.255MB]

This Sandia National Laboratories report examines “energy harvesting” as an alternative to relying exclusively on stored battery power for miniature sensors, actuators and communications equipment. The report explains that shrinking conventional batteries can sharply reduce practical energy density because packaging, seals and other inactive components occupy an increasing proportion of the available volume. It therefore evaluates methods for collecting energy from the surrounding environment, including photovoltaic, chemical, thermal, mechanical and radio-frequency sources. The document compares the energy densities, conversion efficiencies and practical limitations associated with each approach.

The forecast goes beyond individual energy-harvesting devices by examining the supporting systems required to make them useful. Because harvesters frequently cannot meet the instantaneous power requirements of electronics, the report discusses batteries, supercapacitors and power-management circuitry as load-leveling mechanisms. It also provides short-, medium- and long-term capability forecasts, including the possibility that advances in antennas, rectifiers and low-power electronics could eventually make RF energy harvesting practical across substantial portions of urban environments. The broader forecast is that harvested power would become increasingly important as electronic systems became smaller, more autonomous and expected to operate for longer periods without conventional battery replacement.

Point Forecast for Small Energy Storage and Ultrathin Electronics, March 2010 [59 Pages, 18.380MB]

Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories for NSA Research Transformation, this forecast examines technologies capable of supplying power to increasingly small electronic devices while simultaneously reducing the physical thickness of the electronics themselves. The report surveys ultrathin and printable batteries, battery materials, supercapacitors, mechanical energy-storage systems, radioisotopic power systems and ultrathin semiconductors. Its central concern is the engineering problem created when sensors, communications devices and other electronics become so small that conventional batteries and packaging consume a disproportionate amount of their available volume.

The forecast also tracks international research activity, including work in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. On the electronics side, it examines efforts to thin conventional silicon circuits into flexible structures approximately 5 to 50 micrometers thick, as well as organic semiconductor alternatives. The document connects these advances to applications such as smart cards, wearable sensors and low-profile communications equipment, while emphasizing that reliability, heat dissipation, packaging and energy density remained significant constraints.

Forecasting of Antenna Technologies, March 2010 [38 Pages, 10.651MB]

This Sandia National Laboratories forecast, sponsored by NSA Research Transformation, examines emerging antenna technologies needed to support increasingly capable and miniaturized wireless systems. It concentrates on four principal areas: electrically small antennas, metamaterial-based antennas, advanced antenna-array architectures and new approaches to integrating materials into antenna systems. The report argues that antennas should no longer be treated as an afterthought in system design, particularly as wireless devices are required to support multiple functions while meeting increasingly stringent size, power and performance requirements.

The study evaluates electrically small antennas for applications such as RFID and communications, metamaterials intended to alter or improve electromagnetic behavior, smart and phased arrays, and flexible or mechanically reconfigurable antenna concepts. It also surveys international research and publication activity, including Chinese work in areas such as monopulse systems, RF stealth and radar-absorbing materials. The forecast concludes with short-, medium- and long-term assessments of technical readiness, framing antenna development as an enabling technology for future communications, sensing and other wireless systems rather than merely a peripheral hardware component.

Technology Forecast: Using Solid-State Lighting for Wireless Communications, February 2010 [61 Pages, 15.479MB]

Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, this forecast examines whether light-emitting diode solid-state lighting could simultaneously illuminate spaces and function as a wireless communications infrastructure. The underlying concept is visible-light communication: because LED output can be modulated rapidly, lighting fixtures could potentially transmit digital information while continuing to provide apparently continuous illumination to occupants. The report considers both indoor networking and point-to-point optical communications and reviews the rapid development of high-brightness LEDs that was making solid-state lighting increasingly practical.

The report tempers some of the more ambitious expectations surrounding the technology. Earlier projections had contemplated gigabit-per-second data rates and communication over hundreds of meters, but experimental systems, physical modeling and practical engineering constraints had caused those expectations to be revised downward by the time of the study. The forecast evaluates LED performance, modulation, receivers, networking architectures and the relationship between lighting requirements and communications performance. In effect, it examines an early version of what later became widely known as visible-light communications or “Li-Fi”: using existing or future LED lighting infrastructure as an additional medium for transmitting information.

The Human Side of the Net, March 2010 [99 Pages, 27.450MB]

Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories, The Human Side of the Net explores neuroscience and neurotechnology as potential components of future computer networks. The report surveys technologies including EEG, fMRI, MEG, PET, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, transcranial stimulation and other methods for measuring or influencing brain activity. Its central forecasting question is unusually direct: how might humans become “more than metaphorically” part of a network? From that premise, the study examines the possibility of direct input from the brain to a network, biometric encryption and identification based on unique neurological signals, cognitive-state detection, deception detection and direct control of devices.

The report then considers more speculative applications that researchers might eventually pursue if neurotechnology improved sufficiently. These include using the brain as a supplementary processor, “brain onion routing,” outsourcing recognition tasks to human participants, and establishing two-way interaction between the brain and a computer network. Importantly, these concepts are presented as forecast scenarios rather than evidence that NSA possessed or deployed such capabilities. Large portions of the document are redacted under FOIA exemptions, including material withheld under Exemption 7(E), leaving some of the original analysis unavailable in the released version.

The post NSA Releases Cold War-Era Style “Technology Forecasts” on Brain-Network Interfaces, Terahertz Systems, Energy Harvesting and More first appeared on The Black Vault.

The Black Vault submitted the request on August 6, 2017, seeking the article, which was published in the Fall 1972 edition of the journal. The NSA ultimately processed the request as FOIA Case 102240 and issued its response on August 25, 2026.

The article, written by Herbert S. Guy, Jr., concerns the analysis of a callsign system. The portion released on the opening page describes it as “the story of the dissection of a callsign system” and discusses the overlapping work of cryptanalysts, traffic analysts and linguists.

However, only a relatively small portion of the underlying article is readable in the release. Large sections, including entire pages, remain withheld.

In its response, the NSA stated that the withheld material is exempt under FOIA Exemption 3, which permits withholding information protected from disclosure by another federal statute. According to the agency:

“The specific statute applicable in this case is Section 6, Public Law 86-36 (50 U.S. Code 3605).”

The NSA further stated that it “reasonably foresees that disclosure of the withheld information would be harmful to an interest that is protected by the identified exemption.”

The Black Vault intends to appeal the redactions and seek additional disclosure of the material withheld from the 1972 article. Any subsequent appeal determination or additional release will be added to this archive as the FOIA case progresses.

###

Document Archive

FOIA Case 102240 Release Package [7 Pages, 0.8MB]

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The post NSA Releases Heavily Redacted 1972 Technical Journal Article After Nine-Year FOIA Wait first appeared on The Black Vault.

The primary purpose of a DIRGram is to ensure that key directives and information from the NSA’s leadership are effectively communicated throughout the agency. This can include:

• Operational Directives: Instructions regarding specific intelligence operations, including changes in procedures or the initiation of new projects.
• Policy Updates: Announcements of new policies or modifications to existing policies that impact the agency’s operations and protocols.
• Strategic Guidance: Communication of strategic priorities and objectives to align the efforts of different divisions with the overall goals of the NSA.
• Administrative Instructions: Information on administrative matters, such as changes in personnel policies, compliance requirements, or internal organizational changes.

Below, you will find DIRgrams released via FOIA.

Document Archive

DIRgrams from September 2001 – September 2002 [40 Pages, 5.5MB]

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The post NSA DIRgram / Director’s Memorandum Archive first appeared on The Black Vault.

Document Archive

Book I: The Struggle for Centralization 1945-1960

 American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989, Book I [299 Pages, 14.87MB]

Book II: Centralization Wins, 1960-1972

 American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989, Book II [371 Pages, 73MB] – This version was after an MDR case filed in November 2021 and released in January 2023.
ARCHIVED VERSION PREVIOUSLY RELEASED – Date Unknown and more redacted than the above:  American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989, Book II [369 Pages, 17.31MB]

Book III: Retrenchment and Reform, 1972-1980

 American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989, Book III [271 Pages, 11.77MB]

Book IV: Cryptologic Rebirth, 1981-1989

 American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989, Book IV [233 Pages, 9.21MB]

The post American Cryptology during the Cold War, 1945-1989 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Document Archive

NSA Report to the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB) for 4QT 2001 [9 Pages, 2MB]

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The post NSA Report to the President’s Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB) for 4QT 2001 first appeared on The Black Vault.

On November 27, 2021, The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request to have this document further reviewed. Although previously released in 2007 to an unknown FOIA requester, it was redacted heavily in many sections.

In November of 2022, The Black Vault received a much less redacted version, which is available below.

Document Archive

On Watch: Profiles from the National Security Agency’s Past 40 Years, 1984 [112 Pages, 40MB]

The post On Watch: Profiles from the National Security Agency’s Past 40 Years, 1984 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Although released in early 2018, there were many redactions. However, in August of 2021, The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) case to have the record reviewed again. It was a success, having some (not all) of the redactions lifted. The result was the release of initiative details that include machine learning, stealth science, projected research outcomes, and more.

Below, you will find the release, but also a highlighted release showing what information was declassified for this MDR case.

Document Archive

Research Initiatives Presentation, Dr. Deborah Frincke, Director, NSA/CSS Research Directorate, 22 December 2016 [11 Pages, 5MB]

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Research Initiatives Presentation, Dr. Deborah Frincke, Director, NSA/CSS Research Directorate, 22 December 2016 – Highlighted Version [11 Pages, 5MB]

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The post Research Initiatives Presentation, Dr. Deborah Frincke, Director, NSA/CSS Research Directorate, 22 December 2016 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Below, you will find issue released via the FOIA to The Black Vault.

Document Archive

SIDToday Newsletters, August 26, 2016 – August 30, 2016 [16 Pages, 11MB]

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The post SIDToday Newsletters – NSA Signals Intelligence Directorate Internal Newsletter first appeared on The Black Vault.

Document Archive

The Maya Astronomical Computer, by Charles H. Lacombe and [REDACTED], Winter 1977 [23 Pages, 13.2MB]

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The post The Maya Astronomical Computer, by Charles H. Lacombe and [REDACTED], Winter 1977 first appeared on The Black Vault.

From the document:

“The digital revolution has clearly placed the National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA /CSS) in a unique position to serve the nation in new and exciting ways. Our future demands that we succeed in providing Global Cryptologic Dominance through improved performance and better integration of our core expertise and missions – exploit , protect and defend – while supporting DoD efforts to attack information and information systems. Delivering Global Cryptologic Dominance also demands our best people and best efforts to develop and operate world – class Cryptologic systems and tools. Our aim is to sense, make sense of, and securely share electronically gathered information at the speed, agility, and security that the global information network offers. Additionally, we will measurably improve the security of national security systems and other critical operations and information by providing the Information Assurance know -how and technology when and where needed.”

Document Archive

NSA/CSS Strategy, Published June 2010 [27 Pages, 12MB]

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The post NSA/CSS Strategy, Published June 2010 first appeared on The Black Vault.

In the beginning of 2016, I requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and printout of documents listed within the NSA’s ADMS system, which catalogs NSA records within their holdings.

I filed two separate requests, seeking titles and citations for all records that bear the dates before 1900 and the second request was identical but for records dated 1900 through 1920.

The NSA responded to both requests in the same response. Below, you will find the archive.

Document Archive

National Security Agency (NSA) ADMS “Document Management System” Printouts for Documents dated 1930  [6 Pages, 2MB]

 National Security Agency (NSA) ADMS “Document Management System” Printouts for Documents dated through 1920 [61 Pages, 21.6MB]

The post National Security Agency (NSA) ADMS “Document Management System” Printouts first appeared on The Black Vault.

Cryptolog was created in 1974 and was, according to the editor, “a new vehicle for the interchange of ideas on technical subjects.” Another editor called it “a mix of technical, expository, philosophical, futuristic, argumentative and historical articles – with a light touch here and there – there’s always an article or two to engage the reader.” Issues of Cryptolog were published initially on a monthly basis, but in the final years of its publication, were released on a quarterly basis. There were no issues published in 1993 and the final issue was released in July of 1997.

The Black Vault began not only archiving the released versions first put out in 2012, but later filing Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) requests to get them further reviewed.

Below you will find the October 1981 edition, and the huge MDR request success that got much of it further declassified.

Document Archive

Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition, Released September 2020 [18 Pages, 7.5MB]

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Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition, Released September 2020 – HIGHLIGHTED EDITION – [18 Pages, 7.5MB] – This version contains highlighted text, which discerns the newly released information after the MDR.

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Archived Versions

Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition, Released October 2012 – This is the original release of the 1981 edition in 2012. It is archived here to represent how redacted the record originally was.

The post Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following document was first received by the National Security Archive many years ago, but it is unclear when it was first declassified. The released version had many redactions.

So, in February of 2019, The Black Vault requested a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) of the document. In July of 2019, the below was released.

Document Archive

NSA COMINT REPORT: Capital Projects Planned in India, August 31, 1972 [8 Pages, 2.2MB]

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NSA COMINT REPORT: Capital Projects Planned in India, August 31, 1972 – Highlighted Version – [8 Pages, 2.2MB] – This version contains the highlighted information that is newly released, and no longer redacted.

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The post NSA COMINT REPORT: Capital Projects Planned in India, August 31, 1972 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following document was requested through a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request by The Black Vault in February 2019. The records was released at an unknown previous date, but had some of the report redacted.

The MDR was a success, and some of those redactions were lifted on the June 2019 released by the NSA to The Black Vault. I put a “highlighted” version below so you can see the newly released information.

Document Archive

National Security Agency / Central Security Service Transition 2001, December 2000 [45 Pages, 13MB]

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National Security Agency / Central Security Service Transition 2001, December 2000 – Highlighted Version – [45 Pages, 13MB]

The post National Security Agency / Central Security Service Transition 2001, December 2000 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Cicada 3301 is a nickname given to an organization that on three occasions has posted a set of puzzles to recruit codebreakers from the public. The first internet puzzle started on January 4, 2012 on 4chan and ran for approximately one month. A second round began one year later on January 4, 2013, and a third round following the confirmation of a fresh clue posted on Twitter on January 4, 2014. The stated intent was to recruit “intelligent individuals” by presenting a series of puzzles which were to be solved. No new puzzles were published on January 4, 2015. However, a new clue was posted on Twitter on January 5, 2016. In April 2017 a verified PGP-signed message was found: Beware false paths. Always verify PGP signature from 7A35090F. That message explicitly denies the validity of any unsigned puzzle, as recently as April 2017.

The puzzles focused heavily on data security, cryptography, steganography, internet anonymity, and surveillance.

It has been called “the most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the internet age” and is listed as one of the “top 5 eeriest, unsolved mysteries of the internet”, and much speculation exists as to its function. Many have speculated that the puzzles are a recruitment tool for the NSA, CIA, MI6, a “Masonic conspiracy” or a cyber mercenary group. Others have claimed Cicada 3301 is an alternate reality game. No company or individual has taken credit for it or attempted to monetize it, however.

Document Archive

(Other than the NSA documents below, it should be noted that a “no records” response was given to my FOIA requests on Cicada 3301 sent to the FBI, NSA’s Intellipedia system, and the CIA.

Cicada 3301 Documents from the NSA [27 Pages, 10MB] (Note: the request date from the NSA referenced in the letter is incorrect.)

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* Thanks to Wikipedia for background information on Cicada 3301.

The post Cicada 3301 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following emails were internal communications between NSA employees on how to deal with certain types of FOIA requesters. I filed an MDR in 2019 as the records were previously released under FOIA, however, no new information came to light.  The records are archived below.

Document Archive

NSA Emails: Media Leaks Strategic Guidance Needed on Engaging FOIA Requesters, 2013 [9 Pages, 3.5MB]

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The post NSA Emails: Media Leaks Strategic Guidance Needed on Engaging FOIA Requesters, 2013 first appeared on The Black Vault.

When employees of the National Security Agency (NSA) seek outside employment, they are required to file an “outside employment approval” form wherein they request from a superior permission to do so.

Back in March of 2015, I requested all forms filed. The released forms are below.

Document Archive

National Security Agency (NSA) Outside Employment Request Forms, approximately 2015-2016 [28 Pages, 14.4MB]

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The post National Security Agency (NSA) Outside Employment Request Forms first appeared on The Black Vault.

The American electoral process retains many vestiges reflecting its eighteenth century origins. In the age of supersonic transport and email, U.S. citizens select their national leadership on a timetable derived from the speed of carriages and town criers.

In the past, in the transition periods following elections, the Central Intelligence Agency has been the manager for general orientations about the foreign intelligence community and for specific, classified briefings on topics of concern to the incoming administration.

In 2000 the National Security Agency, for the first time, decided to engage more actively in the presidential transition briefing process. The issues for NSA were not small. For those in the new administration for whom this would be the first exposure to cryptology, a briefing would be an important factor in determining how they would interact with NSA.

Previously, the National Security Agency (NSA) released the below document to offer insight into the 2001 transition. I requested what is called a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and was successful in getting the NSA to review the document more thoroughly, and remove some of the “blacked out” information. I have included all releases, for reference.

The Documents

 Presidential Transition 2001: NSA Briefs a New Administration 2019 Release (With highlights of new information) – [28 Pages, 14.2MB] – This document was released to me in 2019, with less redactions, and is embedded below, after the Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) was completed.

 Presidential Transition 2001: NSA Briefs a New Administration 2016 Release – [28 Pages, 1.6MB] – This document was released to me in 2016, after an MDR that I filed, and it is archived here for reference.

 Presidential Transition 2001: NSA Briefs a New Administration 2013 Release – [25 Pages, 2.3MB] – This was the original release of the document in 2013, and it is archived here for reference.

The post Presidential Transition 2001: NSA Briefs a New Administration (2004 Document) first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to this article:

“GNI (Global Network Intelligence) and IW (Information Warfare) are two acronyms that have become part of NSA’s language over the past couple of years. Both convey new and comprehensive activities that are critical to NSA’s future and both dramatically affect the Agency’s offensive (SIGINT) and defensive (INFOSEC) missions. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of the background and ongoing activities in each area, to explain their interrelationships, and to discuss a few relevant challenges that are of general interest to the NSA workforce.”

This record was released previous in heavily redacted form. In February 2018, I requested a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) of this document, in hopes to get some of the redactions lifted. In August of 2018, the NSA removed a considerable amount of redactions, and released the document to The Black Vault.

You can find the newest version (as posted in August of 2018) of this record.

Document Archive

 Global Network Intelligence and Information Warfare: SIGINT and INFOSEC in Cyberspace, 1995 [13 Pages, 2.4MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/SIGINTINFOSEC-Cyberspace.pdf

The post Global Network Intelligence and Information Warfare: SIGINT and INFOSEC in Cyberspace, 1995 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Although this document had been released before, in February of 2018, I requested a “Mandatory Declassification Review” (MDR) of the record to see if I could get some of the blacked out information released.  Although it wasn’t much, once the MDR was completed in August of 2018, it had a little less redaction.  I will still consider that a win!

Document Archive

 NSA and the Supercomputer Industry, Cryptologic Quarterly, Winter 1995 – Vol. 14, No. 4 [12 Pages, 1.4MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/MDR103541.pdf

The post NSA and the Supercomputer Industry, Cryptologic Quarterly, Winter 1995 – Vol. 14, No. 4 first appeared on The Black Vault.

The document, “Beyond BOURBON-1948: The Fourth Year of Allied Collaborative COMINT Effort Against the Soviet Union” dated 1995 was first released in approximately 2010. The document had excessive redactions.  After a document has been reviewed, as long as two years have passed, you can request a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) to get the document re-reviewed for possible further release. In other words, get redactions lifted.

In October of 2016, I request an MDR on the document. The NSA reviewed it under MDR Case 85686, and released the record to me in June of 2017.

Declassified Document

 Beyond BOURBON-1948: The Fourth Year of Allied Collaborative COMINT Effort Against the Soviet Union, 1995 (Result of 2017 MDR Request) [61 Pages, 7.3MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/MDR85686.pdf

The post Beyond BOURBON-1948: The Fourth Year of Allied Collaborative COMINT Effort Against the Soviet Union, 1995 (Result of 2017 MDR Request) first appeared on The Black Vault.

This particular document was found, when I filed a FOIA request back on April 10, 2014, asking for: a copy of all records, electronic or otherwise, pertaining to the internal discussion by the National Security Agency on how the agency would deal with FOIA requests, the media, and any and all inquiries into the NSA after Edward Snowden released classified information. 

It took until 20 September 2017, but the NSA released the below document as responsive to the above.

Document Archive

 NSA/CSS Media Engagement and Outreach Plan: September – December 2014 [21 Pages, 1.8MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/NSAMediaPlan-SepDec2014.pdf

FOIA Case File

I requested the entire “FOIA Case File” with processing notes and internal documents, regarding the above case. Although I do not do this for every FOIA case I file, I felt this one would be interesting to see the “behind the scenes”.

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/77487A.pdf

The post NSA/CSS Media Engagement and Outreach Plan: September – December 2014 first appeared on The Black Vault.

In April of 2014, I requested from the National Security Agency (NSA) the following:

I respectfully request a copy of all records, electronic or otherwise, pertaining to the internal discussion by the National Security Agency on how the agency would deal with FOIA requests, the media, and any and all inquiries into the NSA after Edward Snowden released classified information.

It took more than three years, but the NSA finally responded with the below document.

Document Archive

 NSA/CSS Media Engagement and Outreach Plan, September – December, 2014 [21 Pages, 1.4MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/NSA-Snowden-FOIA.pdf

The post NSA/CSS Media Engagement and Outreach Plan, September – December, 2014 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Internally, the National Security Agency (NSA) publishes the “Gabby the Grammar Geek” column.

In September of 2014, I requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for all columns that were published in 2013.

It was not until September of 2017 that they were released.

Although it took a while for this release, I did file for more. This page will be updated when they are available.

Document Archive

 Gabby the Grammar Geek Column, Published by the National Security Agency (NSA), 2013 [22 Pages, 2.8MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nsa/gabbygeek-2013-nsa1.pdf

The post Gabby the Grammar Geek Column, Published by the National Security Agency (NSA) first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to Wikipedia:

The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438), and it may have been composed in Northern Italy during the Italian Renaissance. The manuscript is named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish book dealer who purchased it in 1912.

Some of the pages are missing, with around 240 remaining. The text is written from left to right, and most of the pages have illustrations or diagrams. Some pages are foldable sheets.

The Voynich manuscript has been studied by many professional and amateur cryptographers, including American and British codebreakers from both World War I and World War II. No one has yet succeeded in deciphering the text, and it has become a famous case in the history of cryptography. The mystery of the meaning and origin of the manuscript has excited the popular imagination, making the manuscript the subject of novels and speculation. None of the many hypotheses proposed over the last hundred years has yet been independently verified.

In 1969 the Voynich manuscript was donated by Hans P. Kraus to Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where it is cataloged under call number MS 408.

 In June of 2017, I requested from the National Security Agency (NSA) all records they had to The Voynich Manuscript. Below, you will find the search results.  They did inform me they have put some of the material on their website, however, it does not appear that it is complete.

Below, according to the NSA, is a complete set of records.

Document Archive

 The Voynich Manuscript NSA Documents [348 Pages, 57MB]

The post The Voynich Manuscript – National Security Agency (NSA) Documents first appeared on The Black Vault.