National Security Agency to privatize nonclassified technology

[William Knowles <wk () C4I ORG>]

http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500213020-500300351-501658042-0,00.html

FORT MEADE, Md. (June 7, 2000 12:31 p.m. EDT
http://www.nandotimes.com) - The super-secret National Security Agency
is planning to turn management of most of its nonclassified
information technology over to a private contractor.

NSA officials estimated that the initiative announced Tuesday could
save the government $1 billion over 10 years, while allowing for
faster modernization of the agency's computers and telecommunication
systems.

"It narrows our front and allows us to focus the energies of the
agency on the things that only the agency can do," said Lt. Gen.
Michael V. Hayden, the NSA's director.

The plan could be worth up to $5 billion to the winning bidder over 10
years, The Washington Post and The Sun of Baltimore said.

The contract would not involve the supercomputers, satellites and
ground stations around the world that the NSA uses to monitor
communications. The NSA specializes in electronic
intelligence-gathering through satellites, telephone intercepts and
other methods.

A major computer failure in January left the agency unable to process
global intelligence for days. No vital intelligence was lost and no
international crisis occurred, but Hayden and other top NSA officials
were alarmed by the meltdown.

Three private-sector consortia led by major corporations plan to
submit bids. Officials declined to name the consortium members. The
contract is scheduled to be awarded in April 2001.

The plan would eliminate the jobs of 1,200 to 1,500 NSA employees and
800 contractors, but agency officials said all affected NSA employees
would be guaranteed jobs by the winning bidder.


*-------------------------------------------------*
"Communications without intelligence is noise;
Intelligence without communications is irrelevant."
Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
---------------------------------------------------
C4I Secure Solutions             http://www.c4i.org
*-------------------------------------------------*

ISN is sponsored by SecurityFocus.com
---
To unsubscribe email LISTSERV () SecurityFocus com with a message body of
"SIGNOFF ISN".