미 국가안보국, AI·중국 전담 조직 신설…10년 새 최대 조직 개편

The National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States is making sweeping organizational changes, as reported by the Washington Post on the 13th. This major restructuring, which is the largest internal overhaul in the past decade, was outlined by the current and former officials. According to the reorganization plan, five new organizations will be established at the headquarters in Port Madison, Maryland: artificial intelligence, China, cyber defense, combat support and execution, and global intelligence.

Each of these organizations will be led by a high-ranking "mission director". A former official stated that these leaders will effectively have the authority of a deputy national security assistant. The current NSA director, General Joseph F. Rump, believes that this new structure will better reflect the agency's current and future priorities.

However, it is not yet clear whether these five organizations will replace existing departments or be added on top of them. The director also revealed that external appointments may be made for the mission directors. The recently recreated Special Access Program (TAO), established in 1997, will be integrated under the global intelligence organization.

The organization, which was previously disbanded in 2016, was responsible for penetrating and sometimes attacking highly secure digital targets worldwide. The name was resurrected recently. The NSA, a representative global eavesdropping and communications security agency, employs more than 30,000 military and civilian personnel.

Under the current director, who took office in March, a strong emphasis has been placed on strengthening the agency's capabilities in artificial intelligence, with the White House often visited to discuss AI-related matters.