What is the role of the National Security Agency (NSA) in SIGINT?

• A. Domestic tax collection
• B. Responsible for providing foreign SIGINT to policymakers and military forces; information usage includes protecting troops, supporting allies, fighting terrorism, combating international crime/narcotics, supporting diplomatic negotiations, and advancing important national objectives
• C. Regulating internet content
• D. Issuing travel advisories

Answer: (B)

Signals intelligence involves intercepting and analyzing foreign communications and electronic signals to produce actionable information. The National Security Agency’s role is to collect and analyze foreign SIGINT and deliver it to policymakers and military forces, so they can make informed decisions. This supports protecting troops, aiding allies, counterterrorism, suppressing international crime and narcotics, backing diplomatic negotiations, and advancing broader national objectives. The other activities listed—tax collection, regulating internet content, and issuing travel advisories—are handled by different agencies, not NSA, so they don’t describe the agency’s SIGINT mission.