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| Montage of the Naval Security Group Command presented to RADM Ike Cole at his change of command |
UNCLAS
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MSGID/GENADMIN/COMNAVNETWARCOM/N00/SEP//
SUBJ/DISESTABLISHMENT OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND - WELL/DONE
// POC/Jan E. Tighe/CAPT/Deputy Director IOD/240-373-3011/CNSG/JETIGHE@NSA.GOV//
RMKS/1. ON 30 SEP 05, NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND (NSG) WILL BE DISESTABLISHED AS AN ECHELON II SHORE ACTIVITY AFTER MORE THAN 70 YEARS OF EXEMPLARY CRYPTOLOGIC SERVICE TO THE NATION AND THE NAVY. WITH A FINAL ENTRY IN THE NSG LOG BOOK AND THE LOWERING OF THE COMMAND FLAG, RADM ANDREW M. SINGER WILL BE RELIEVED OF COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES AND NSG WILL TRANSITION TO THE INFORMATION OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE (IOD) OF NAVAL NETWORK WARFARE COMMAND. THE RECORD WILL SHOW NSG ON WATCH FROM 11 MARCH 1935 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2005.
2. BEGINNING 1 OCT 05, IOD WILL SYNCHRONIZE THE INFORMATION OPERATIONS AND SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE MISSIONS WITHIN NETWARCOM. THE ALIGNMENT INTO NETWARCOM PROVIDES FOR THE COMBINED POWER OF FULL-SPECTRUM INFORMATION OPERATIONS, NAVY NETWORKS, AND SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE IN A COHERENT OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE. BRINGING TOGETHER THE WORKFORCES OF THE NSG AND NETWARCOM WILL DELIVER AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF EXPERTISE AND RESPONSIVENESS -- PROFESSIONALS WHO UNDERSTAND AND CAN SHAPE THE INFORMATION WARFARE DOMAIN TO MEET PEACETIME, CRISIS, SURGE, AND WARTIME OBJECTIVES FOR JFMCCS AND OTHER JOINT COMMANDERS.
3. THE ORIGINS OF THE NSG DATE BACK TO 1924 WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RESEARCH DESK IN THE CODE AND SIGNAL SECTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NAVAL COMMUNICATIONS. REDESIGNATED OP-20-G IN 1928 AND SERVING THE DIRECTOR OF NAVAL COMMUNICATIONS, IT BECAME KNOWN AS THE "ON THE ROOF GANG" BECAUSE ITS FOUNDING MEMBERS WERE TRAINED IN THE ART OF CODED COMMUNICATIONS IN A SECURE FACILITY ON THE ROOF OF THE OLD DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY BUILDING. OP-20-G CONTINUED TO GROW, CULMINATING IN THE FORMATION OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP ON 11 MARCH 1935. ALTHOUGH THE NAME OP-20-G WAS RETAINED UNTIL AFTER WORLD WAR II, 11 MARCH 1935 MARKED THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE WORD "GROUP" IN THE TITLE OF THE NAVAL CRYPTOLOGIC ORGANIZATION AND IS OBSERVED AS THE BIRTH OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP. THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSEPH WENGER, THE FIRST CRYPTOLOGIC ADMIRAL, LED TO THE CREATION OF NSG, OR SECGRU, AS AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND IN 1950. IN 1956, THE NSG HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITY WAS ESTABLISHED, RETAINING THE NAME UNTIL 1961 WHEN IT WAS REDESIGNATED THE NSG HEADQUARTERS UNDER THE DIRECTOR, NAVAL SECURITY GROUP. FINALLY ON 1 JULY 1968, OPNAV NOTICE 5450 ESTABLISHED THE NSG COMMAND HEADQUARTERS UNDER A FLAG OFFICER.
4. FOR 70 YEARS, SECGRU CRYPTOLOGISTS PROVED THEIR VALUE IN CONFLICTS, PLAYING KEY ROLES IN WWII, KOREA, VIETNAM, THE COLD WAR AND MOST RECENTLY AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ. WHILE SECGRU EXPERIENCED MANY SUCCESSES, THEY WERE NOT WITHOUT SACRIFICE. IN 1967 THE USS LIBERTY WAS ATTACKED DURING THE SIX DAY WAR. TWO-THIRDS OF THE LIBERTY'S CREW WERE CASUALTIES WITH 34 KILLED, 23 OF THEM CRYPTOLOGISTS. THE LIST DOES NOT STOP THERE. THE USS PUEBLO, THE EC-121 SHOOT-DOWN, AND THE FIRE AT KAMISEYA, JAPAN ALL RESULTED IN SECGRU CASUALTIES WHILE ON WATCH.
5. OUR NAVY'S INFORMATION WARRIORS HAVE GONE BY DIFFERENT NAMES IN DIFFERENT ERAS, BUT THE ESSENTIALS OF THE MISSION, AND THE SENSE OF DUTY, HAVE REMAINED THE SAME. AS NSG BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER, ITS FOCUS NOW TURNS TO A NEW LOGBOOK WITH ITS FIRST PAGE DATED 1 OCT 2005. SECGRU SAILORS CAN TAKE PRIDE IN NSG'S LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE TO THE NATION AND NAVY. THROUGH STEADFAST COMMITMENT AND SUSTAINED SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE, NSG CONSISTENTLY PROVIDED THE INFORMATION DOMINANCE THE FLEET NEEDED AND HAS BEEN THE BENCHMARK FOR CRYPTOLOGIC OPERATIONS BY WHICH OTHERS ARE JUDGED. THIS EXCELLENCE WILL CONTINUE UNDER NETWARCOM.
6. TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND, I EXTEND THE APPRECIATION AND THE RESPECT OF THE NAVY COMMUNITY. THE HERITAGE OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE SPIRIT, ENTHUSIASM AND GENIUS OF ITS PEOPLE, QUALITIES WHICH WILL SERVE US WELL IN MEETING THE NEW AND DEMANDING CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE, ALL YOU ARE GOING TO DO, AND ABOVE ALL FOR SERVING WITH THE DISTINCTION YOU HAVE SO RICHLY EARNED.
7. WELL DONE AND WELCOME ABOARD! VADM MCARTHUR SENDS.//
BT
#1410
6 comments:
Hard to believe it's been 5 years. A lot has changed since then as the vision towards what we do evolves to meet current mission requirements. We've always been able to adapt and walk alongside those that we support. My personal opinion is that we must never detach ourselves via "remoting," but find middle ground where we can continue to be in the same company as the supported commander and still rely on "reach back." Remember the story about ADM Burke as COS for ADM Mitcher and how he wanted to know who that LT was that had the ear of ADM Mitcher. It's about professionalism, trust, and relationship building. I sometime think that we forget about the relationship building part of the profession.
Oh - the message was a nice touch, however, I do believe that paragraphs 3,4,and 5 could have been deleted. Leave that stuff for the museum in Pensacola.
also of note - Today is also the last day for 1610s.
When I was in NavSecGru, the only bit of history we learned in school was what appeared in paragraph 4. The rest didn't warrant a mention. Perhaps I should have been more inquisitive, but I was barely past 18-years-old and had other things on my mind, to be sure. I wonder whether the Chiefs of today take time to teach their charges about the long history of their predecessor organization(s)? Pehaps it's not "mission essential," but I would think it would help the sailors better understand -- perhaps appreciate -- their place in the Navy.
Just some thoughts.
I infer by your post that Naval Network Warfare Command and, now, Fleet Cyber Command (FCC) is Naval Security Group both transformed and reborn to live anew.
I agree with transformational but not Phoenix. SECGRU is gone and, for those who still harbor a problem with it (and in some case vocal bitterness), you need to move on.
This is not to discount the importance of Fleet Cryptology or SIGINT. However, it is not and should not be considerd the primary mission at FCC. There are other significant missions that need to be addressed and, dare I say it as a retired cryppie, at times put cryptology in the back seat -- like netops and cyber defense.
There's no doubt that, at the beginning of FCC, the majority of the staff was cryppies. For now, it probably still is because that's the way the cards were dealt. However, the staff is growing, it's reaching out, and it's rightfully taking on / the lead for the other missions.
I can tell you from experience that there are people outside the cryptologic community who think FCC is NAVSECGRU reborn. Nothing can or should be further from the truth. Anyone from within the community to imply it is the case is doing a disservice to FCC.
Let's look at the results of this action 5 years on. The goals contained in para 2 have not been met.
Look at the implementing actions taken by NNWC: 1. Disestablish the M brancher rating, oops, then restart the rating after you figure out ET can't do what M do. 2. Disestablish the O brancher rating, because the ITs can maintain SCI networks, that has been a disaster. 3. Create the N branch, good idea, unfortunately have nothing for them to do but sit in VTCs and talk about what they want to do. 4. Disestablish the A branch rating and expect YNs to be SSOs, that has been a failure. 5. Move the whole staff to Norfolk, and now move them back to Fort Meade. 6. Change the I brancher rating to only train in six languages. Then try and get E-6 linguists to start over again in a second language.
Create a bunch of admiral billets of dubious value.
Yea, this was a great move.
...perhaps history is important!? And we are indeed doomed to repeat mistakes of the past when we don't bring valid, real-world experience with us, as we move forward. Sit down with a bunch of CPOs, and get their insight on how they handled difficult transitions/tasks in the past. Knowing the ranging and broad based skills of M, O, & A branchers, they are obviously key to the success of the new organization
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