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The headquarters of the NSA in Fort Meade, Maryland.Courtesy of the NSA

Ideas

Ledgett is the deputy director of the National Security Agency

In 1977 I was finishing my sophomore year of college, working two jobs to put myself through school, and thought, There has to be a better way. So I enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warfare Morse Intercept Operator, which didnt tell me much but would let me earn money toward college through the GI Bill . My plan was to do my 3 years, get out, and finish college. That plan didnt work out; I ended up staying in the Army almost eleven years and then transitioned to the National Security Agency as a civilian for 29 more, and am retiring this April after 40 years in the business. I did end up finishing my degree after hours, and went on to get a masters degree, just not in the way Id planned. What happened along the way was that I discovered the fulfillment that comes from serving the nation and its allies, working with some of the most amazing people on the planet, on the most challenging problems we face.

For someone like me who is motivated by understanding how things work, the signals intelligence business is fascinating. Theres the challenge of understanding the communications technology that the target (in my early days, principally the Soviet Union ) uses, and how to intercept those communications. Then theres the need to understand the internal plumbing of how the intercepted data flows through our complicated architecture, and the multiple transformations that happen along the way. After that, analysts need to figure out what the data actually means the so what? of the intercept. Thats not as easy as it sounds, as the targets will work to hide their activities through cover names, and make references to shared information and experience that we dont have. And they rarely communicate in English, which requires a very high degree of expertise in the relevant foreign languages, to include slang and argot specific to functions and sub-cultures. This one is especially important to get right the difference between launch at noon and lunch at noon is consequential.

Its a complicated puzzle that requires multiple domains of expertise, all applied in the right way at the right time, to achieve success. But success in what we do isnt enough success has to translate into a good outcome for the users of our material, whether thats a policy maker planning a diplomatic negotiation with a foreign country, or a military commander assessing the threat to our forces. That means we need to understand their plans, and the way they work, well enough to know the best place for us to inject our information yet another level of complexity. But a successful outcome whether thats providing key information at the right point in a negotiation, or warning a military unit of an ambush so they can avoid it is hugely motivating, because we can see how the application of our hard-earned technical and operational knowledge resulted in a good outcome for the nation, and in those cases where we actually save lives, the individuals. There is a satisfaction that comes from knowing the story behind the headlines, and the fact that we had a part in how that played out even if we cant tell anyone about it.

The cyber domain is relatively new, adding some layers of complexity, but having the same foundational characteristics. In fact, the principal reason NSA is so skilled in the cyber domain is that weve been operating in it since its inception. The global telecommunications environment, where NSA works its signals intelligence mission to produce foreign intelligence, is also cyberspace, and we are expert denizens. Our complementary mission of information assurance, where we protect national security-related networks and information, requires us to have detailed insights into U.S. government networks. In both domains, our people need to have extraordinarily deep technical knowledge of networks, devices, and software, which quite often exceeds that of the people who built or programmed those products. When applied to the cybersecurity mission, it gives the nation a strategic advantage. And from a motivational point of view, what could be more satisfying than using ones expertise to defeat a foreign hacker threat to the country?

The personal and professional rewards of working in the intelligence business have been remarkable. Ive had the opportunity to travel to 39 different countries, and made lifelong friends in some of them. Ive seen what went on behind the headlines of everything from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan , to the North Korean destructive attack on Sony , to the Russian cyber exploitation of the Democratic National Committee. More importantly, Ive seen the unsung heroes of the intelligence community, and especially at NSA, who work incredibly hard applying their formidable intellects and energy to protect us. They work countless hours at great personal cost, from missing milestones in their childrens lives to turning down lucrative jobs outside government because of their deep love for the mission. They deploy with our forces forward in war zones to ensure our military is protected, sacrificing time with their loved ones. Unfortunately, some of them have made an even greater sacrifice. The NSA/CSS Cryptologic Memorial Wall names the 176 individuals who have given their lives performing signals intelligence and information assurance missions around the globe.

Thats what kept me in this business for 40 years the combination of the intellectual challenge, the chance to develop and apply technical and operational expertise to things that matter, the joy of working with incredibly intelligent and motivated people, and the feeling that Im part of something bigger than myself. Im a little envious of the people coming into the workforce right now, as they have limitless opportunities to contribute, to serve, and to get the same kind of satisfaction from working in this completely digital, connected world. In 25 years or so, one of them will be sitting in the seat that I am now, and I hope she gets as much enjoyment from the journey as I have.

Ledgett is the Deputy Director of the National Security Agency. He will retire in April.

See the article here:
NSA Deputy Director: Why I Spent the Last 40 Years In National Security - TIME

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In a case that has been closely followed as a test for new whistleblower protections put in place by President Obama, it can now be reported that the whistleblower received restitution for his complaint, according to information provided to Just Security by a government official familiar with the case.

The whistleblower, who requested anonymity in communicating with Just Security, said that he suffered a reprisal for reporting a lack of action in investigating possible misconduct by Senior NSA Officials with respect to a funding of a conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The whistleblower, an Intelligence Community employee, was denied an assignment within the National Security Agencys Inspector Generals Office of Investigations.

Thanks to a set of procedures put in place by the Presidential Directive in 2012 the whistleblower was able to file an allegation of reprisal. His complaint was initially rejected by the Department of Defenses Inspector General. It then became the first case to be reviewed by another mechanism put in place by the Presidential Directivean External Review Panel composed of three inspector generals, including CIA, the Justice Department, and Treasury.

In its most recent report to Congress, the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community explained that the Review Panels report, which has not yet been made public, detailed that the employee was entitled to appropriate relief from the agency but that the recommendations were still being implemented. For his part, the whistleblower told Just Security, that the process created by the Presidential Directive was critical to my success personally and professionally. Without it, he said, an IC whistleblower does not really have a chance. This process now places some genuine oversight.

Just Security can now report that the whistleblower has been reinstated in the NSAs Inspector Generals Office of Investigations, according to a government official familiar with the case.

On Thursday, Andrew Bakaj and Mark Zaid wrote about the case, focusing on procedures involvingthe individual accused of engaging in reprisal against the whistleblower.

[Editors Note: If interested in the topic of whistleblowing, read Just Securitys coverage includingNick Schwellenbachs Survivors Guide to Being a Successful Whistleblower in the Federal Government.]

Go here to read the rest:
Whistleblower Reinstated in Job in Test Case for NSA and Intelligence Community - Just Security

The growth needle is once again shifting into high gear at National Storage Affiliates (NYSE: NSA).

Source: image - 123RF

The newest publicly traded self-storage REIT continues to demonstrate that its unique business model resonates with large private self-storage operators.

This is especially true when it comes to family-run businesses, where management is looking to stay active and continue building upon a life's work.

After the bell, on Feb. 23, 2017, NSA announced the latest PRO to join its ranks, Personal Mini Storage of Orlando, a brand the Shader family has used to grow its self-storage business in Central Florida for several decades. NSA typically targets top industry operators with 20 or more properties located in larger US markets.

The Shader Brothers Corp. owned and operated portfolio contains 36 properties in a high-growth region of Florida. In the case of Personal Mini Storage, the Shader family has been an industry leader in Central Florida since the early 1980s. This acquisition will bring a portfolio of 36 well-seasoned self-storage properties to the table for NSA.

While the terms of the deal were not announced, (NSA reports Q4/FY'16 results on February 28th), NSA has the flexibility to issue OP/SP units in addition to cash for acquisitions. The OP units eventually convert 1:1 to NSA common shares. However, the SP units incentivize the new PRO with a formula that rewards strong performance, and protects existing shareholders in the event operating results are below par.

This optionality can give NSA a leg up versus its larger and better-known peer group, which includes: REIT blue-chip Public Storage (NYSE: PSA), Extra Space Storage (NYSE: EXR), CubeSmart (NYSE: CUBE) and Life Storage (NYSE: LSI).

The chart shows that National Storage delivered solid results compared with its peer group and the broader equity REIT sector.

Read more: Why Self-Storage REIT NSA's $630 Million iStorage JV Is A Big Deal

If you are not familiar with NSA, the article above provides background and links to previous articles.

Self-Storage - Bigger Picture

The recent self-storage sector underperformance is an anomaly. However, self-storage REITs had become a victim of their own success over the past few years. After piling up a couple of years of record high occupancy and blistering same-store NOI growth each quarter, same period result comparisons get tougher.

After the Great Recession, there were about five or so years of muted new supply, which contributed to the strong industry fundamentals and record performance. Notably, during the past few quarters, some local markets have seen notable increases in new supply. This can create a headwind for both street rates and occupancy. Since new self-storage properties open 100% vacant, operators typically use incentives to attract customers until occupancy becomes stabilized.

By late January, the pendulum of pessimism appeared to have swung too far, which I pointed out last month for SA readers in Self-Storage REITs In Full Retreat - Time To Buy?

Mr. Market's relentless selloff created an opportunity for investors to once again initiate positions in the desirable self-storage REIT sector.

During the past month, the sector has slowly begun to come out of its funk. Recent results by CubeSmart seemed to trigger a bit of optimism and helped bring buyers back. Extra Space Storage also has led the February upswing.

Adding PROs Pays Dividends

CEO Arlen Nordhagen has assured analysts and investors that NSA will only bring a new PRO aboard if it makes sense strategically, culturally, and adds to the bottom line. This discipline may have slowed the growth a bit, but it has resulted in a steadily rising dividend since the NSA IPO in 2015.

It is in both the NSA shareholders' and OP unit holders' (NSA PROs) interest that any major acquisition is immediately accretive to earnings. Management incentives are clearly aligned with shareholders.

Source: NSA irwebsite - Feb. 23, 2017

Once a new PRO joins National Storage, implementing a revenue management program, the national call center, and an advertising program, can help drive better operating results. It is also a given that NSA as a publicly traded REIT has a much lower cost of capital.

New PROs are a source of local market knowledge, and they can sharpshoot one-off "bolt-on" acquisitions for NSA. PROs can also be instrumental in convincing other privately owned self-storage operators to take a long look at the NSA value proposition. The industry profile of Marc Smith of Personal Mini Storage, is a perfect example:

"Marc M. Smith, President of Personal Mini, is currently completing a six-year term on the national Self Storage Association ("SSA") board, where he has served in various executive roles, including Board Chairman for the 2016 term. Marc has also served as past President and National Board Member of the Southeast Region of the SSA. He is a licensed Florida real estate broker and a licensed Florida building contractor. Marc has a B.S. in real estate and finance from The University of Texas, a M.S. in building construction from The University of Florida and is a graduate of the Owner President Management Program at Harvard Business School."

NSA will be able to leverage the relationships of a veteran self-storage industry team, Marc Smith and his wife Laurie Shader Smith, who grew up with the business in Orlando. On a personal note, I was privileged to get to know Laurie and her family back in the mid-1980s, and they are top-notch folks.

FAST Graph - Valuation Analysis

It's time to use the F.A.S.T. Graphs tool to check under the hood. The black line is price. It is a visual comparison relative to the blue line, which is "normal" P/FFO for the selected number of years. The red line corresponds to the dividend yield on the far right of the chart.

The NSA double-digit FFO growth potential can support the current valuation. In fact, the lack of consensus 2019 estimates for this relatively young REIT actually understates the growth. Meanwhile, investors are being paid an attractive 4% yield, backed by a solid history of dividend increases since the National Storage IPO.

Investor Takeaway

National Storage has been one of my top picks since the end of 2015. Last year, NSA shares returned over 30% to shareholders.

Read more: My REIT Small-Cap Gems 2016 Performance Update: 30%-Plus Returns

Notably, NSA shares are trading near their all-time high. However, that is not unusual for this top performer.

During the past 52 weeks, NSA shares have traded in a range of $17.10-$24.32 per share.

The challenge with most REITs which are fully valued is to find a catalyst to send the shares on the next leg up. However, the unique NSA business model has accretive portfolio acquisitions baked into the cake. Self-storage operators can cash in on high current valuations for their stabilized storage properties and remain active running the business. It is a way for them to diversify and obtain liquidity, to essentially have their cake and eat it too.

I fully expect management to raise FY 2017 guidance metrics to reflect the latest PRO acquisition. Additionally, NSA has been rolling out its revenue management program across the portfolio and this should bode well for same-store NOI results.

These "PROs," or preferred regional operators, can diversify and achieve some liquidity while still being able to participate in the upside of their life's work. NSA gives shareholders the opportunity to invest side by side with entrepreneurs who have a vested interest in the continued success of their legacy businesses.

If NSA does a secondary share offering in conjunction with the acquisition of the Central Florida portfolio, it could provide an opportunity for investors to initiate a position. I previously have suggested ~$20.00 as an acquisition target price. I think bumping that up closer to $22.00 per share would now be reasonable for new investors looking for an entry point.

I am contemplating whether to launch a Seeking Alpha Marketplace Premium subscription service. I would appreciate any feedback from readers who may be interested. Feel free to share them in the comment thread below, or send me an Inbox message.

I relentlessly hunt for diamonds in the rough and rising stars, in addition to closely following data centers, covering REIT blue-chips, and breaking news. Please consider following me as a Seeking Alpha author if you would like to be notified when my future articles are published.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in NSA, EXR, CUBE, LSI, PSA over the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: Members of my household are long NSA.

Read more:
Self-Storage REIT: National Storage Announces 8th 'PRO' Prior To Earnings - Seeking Alpha

The Pentagon is beginning to assess whether its time to split up the leadership of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.

Right now, the two organizations share a leader Adm. Mike Rogers, who is director of the NSA and also the commander of the cyber unit.

But lawmakers have debated ending that dual-hat arrangement as the United States moves into a new era of expanded cyber warfare.

Separating the leadership of the NSA and Cyber Command would create a new vacancy for President Trump to fill.

Were looking at the issue, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told The Hillon Wednesday, pointing to a newmemoissued by Defense Secretary James Mattis asking for an initial plan to better support information management and cyber operations.

Congress in December passed a bill that elevated Cyber Command to a unified combatant command. That change made Cyber Command its own war fighting unit, spinning it out from under Strategic Command.

But that legislation also pumped the breaks on splitting the NSA from Cyber Command, requiring the Pentagon to conduct a full assessment first.

Experts and former security officials regard it as inevitable that the NSA and Cyber Command will someday be separated but fear that split could be damaging if done too quickly.

Thats because Cyber Command wasnt established at NSA headquarters until 2009 and remains dependent on the agency to function.

If you split them off and give them separate bosses, you run the risk of potential personality conflicts between those two that might then cause a lessoning of the sharing and cooperation as it is occurring now, said Steve Bucci, a former Army Special Forces officer and Pentagon official who is now a visiting fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. Thats probably the biggest danger that I see.

Tensions already exist between NSA and Cybercom over professional overlap, and if duties and boundaries arent very clearly delineated in any split, these matters will worsen as they both fight for mission and resources, said John Schindler, a former NSA analyst and counterintelligence officer.

Alexandra Sander, a research associate at the Center for a New American Security, feared that the split could produce stove piping of intelligence information a term used to describe information that gets bottled up in agencies rather than shared in the government.

Elevating Cyber Command to its own unified command, and then if you had a split with the NSA on top of that, especially in a domain like cyber which should be integrated across the board with other functional and geographic commands and military operations if you had increased stove piping, I think that would have a negative effect on our capabilities, Sander said.

Under the law passed by Congress last year, Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford have to conduct a joint assessment into what would happen if the NSA and Cyber Command were separated.

They must ensure that the termination of the dual-hat arrangement will not pose risks to the military effectiveness of the United States Cyber Command that are unacceptable to the national security interests of the United States, the law states.

The military leaders are required to evaluate the dependence of Cyber Command on the NSA and how well the organizations could carry out their duties independently.

The legislation also prevents the split from happening until Cyber Command has achieved full operational capability, which isntexpectedto happen until the end of fiscal 2018.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office is also studying the dual-hat leadership of the two organizations; the office expects to complete that review in June, according to a spokesman.

Sen. John McCainJohn McCainHannity apologizes for sharing 'inaccurate' story about McCain McCain spokeswoman: Hannity should 'correct the record' after 'fake news' tweet CNN to host town hall featuring John McCain, Lindsey Graham MORE (R-Ariz.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, has staunchly opposed a premature separation of the two organizations. Other lawmakers have been less vocal, adopting a wait-and-see approach pending assessments by the Pentagon and GAO.

We want to make the right decision. Im undecided, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who chairs the newly formed Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity.

When you separate that out, you have to make sure that you have really good lines of communication, coordination and so forth. There are positives to either way, and we know right know that we have something we think is working; the question is at what point does it become so big that it needs to be changed? Rounds said.

President Obamaspokein favor of ending the dual-hat nature of the role late last year after he was reportedlypressedto do so by his Defense secretary and director of national intelligence.

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Pentagon mulling split of NSA, Cyber Command | TheHill - The Hill

Not what this might look like. Public Domain image adapted by Eric Grundhauser

A versionof this storyoriginally appearedonMuckrock.com.

A classified government document opens with an odd sequence of events relating to parapsychology has occurred within the last month and concluded with an alarming question about psychics nuking cities so that they became lost in time and space. If this sounds like a plot out of science fiction, it is - but its also a NSA memo from 1977.

The first event raised by the NSA note is a CIA report which mentioned KGB research into parapsychology. According to this, the KGB used hobbyists and non-governmental researchers to talk to western scientists. This allowed the KGB to collect useful information without putting themselves into a position to accidentally leak confidential information to westerners. According to the NSA note, this tactic yielded high grade western scientific data.

The next event described by the NSA note was what appeared to be a Russian provocation, though exactly what sort was a matter of some debate. In June 1977, an American journalist was detained in Russia for receiving a Soviet paper on parapsychology. The paper allegedly documented PSI (i.e. psychic) particles within the living cell, allegedly providing a physical basis for parapsychology.

This struck American intelligence as being a form of entrapment, though the goal was uncertain. Some thought it was an effort to provoke radio chatter which the Soviets could trace to get a better idea of the U.S.s interest and activities. Another theory was that it was simply a warning to the West to stay away from sensitive Soviet research. A third theory was that it was a double-think ploy to pretend interest in a clumsy manner to make us think that this was really just a deception to trick the West into believing there was interest when there really was none. While this last theory might sound paranoid, this is how denial and deception operate - and its something that Russian counterintelligence has long excelled at.

The section concluded with a note that there had supposedly been a successful demonstration of telekinetic power in a Soviet military sponsored research lab, and the alleged discovery of a new type of energy perhaps even more important than that of Atomic energy.

The third event was the apparent postulation by some physicists along with the famous evolutionist, Teilhard de Chardin that the universe was more of a great thought than a great machine. According to this view, the unified field on ground of reality is awareness. The note cited telekinetic experiments and postulated that awareness focusing could produce a new form of energy that moves or perhaps alters matter.

The report cited British scientists experiencing poltergeist phenomena after testing Uri Geller. Objects allegedly left the room, some of which apparently reappeared later. Supposedly, this didnt surprise unnamed scientists who found it no harder to believe that objects could disappear and reappear than it was to believe in the detected particles emerging from energy and dissolving or disappearing back into energy.

From these premises, two types of telekinetic weapons were hypothesized: a telekinetic time bomb and the equivalent of a psychic nuke that could dislodge a city in time and space.

The first involved a member of the command and control staff being kidnapped and subjected to trauma that would allow him to be suggestively programmed to develop telekinetic effects under stress at work. The theory was that when an emergency situation arose and the officer was subjected to stress, objects would begin to move and disappear independently and communications would become impossible.

The second hypothetical weapon was even more elaborate and potentially terrifying. Citing a prediction of a massive change which will alter the direction, time, space and energy-matter relationship of our world, the note wondered what would happen if a group of psychics were brought together. If ten people who were evidencing disruptive telekinetic phenomena were brought into one area, would it cause a chain reaction, causing much matter to reverse direction and sink back into a sea of energy or be displaced in time and space? The memo concluded by wondering if such an event reach a critical mass and affect an entire city.

By an interesting coincidence, the Philadelphia Experiment hoax bears some superficial resemblance to the theorized weapon in the NSA note. According various versions of the hoax, the USS Eldridge was temporarily rendered invisible or transported through time and space. The incident is even listed on NSAs webpage of paranormal topics that they dont have records on. However, there were other papers prepared on the perceived potential of weaponizing psychic abilities, some of which will be explored later. For now, you can read the NSA note here.

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When the NSA Feared Psychics Could Make Cities Lost in Time and Space - Atlas Obscura