SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE

SIGINT is the interception of signals for the purpose of gathering intelligence. It is divided into three sub-disciplines:

Communications Intelligence (COMINT) which is the interception of communication between people and groups

Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) which is the intercepting of electronic signals which are not specifically used for communication

Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence (FISINT), which is the collection of signals created by the testing and use of foreign weapons systems.

A category of intelligence comprising either individually or in combination all communications intelligence, electronic intelligence, and foreign instrumentation signals intelligence, however transmitted.

Intelligence derived from communications, electronic, and foreign instrumentation signals. Also called SIGINT. See also communications intelligence; electronic intelligence; intelligence; foreign instrumentation signals intelligence.

SIGINT is the interception, collection, and analysis of electronic signals and communications of a given target for gathering intelligence. SIGINT solutions and systems are used to identify, track, and locate any unwanted electromagnetic signals for immediate threat recognition and to improve situational awareness and security in the battlefield.

The origins of SIGINT can be traced back to the first world war when British forces began intercepting German radio communications to gain intelligence about their plans. This led to the use of cryptography to conceal the content of radio transmissions, and as such, cryptanalysis became an integral part of SIGINT as well.

As technology has advanced, so has the field of SIGINT. Today, the US military gathers signals intelligence through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Global Hawk and Reaper drones, which are equipped with powerful infrared sensors and cameras, as well as Light and Imaging Detection (LIDAR) and synthetic aperture RADAR systems to gather and transmit back valuable raw intelligence from the operational environment for analysis.

One downside of UAVs is that they fly slower and at lower altitudes than manned aircraft, leaving them more vulnerable to anti-aircraft measures. One solution is the EA-18G Growler. This plane is an updated version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, which has been repurposed from a pure combat aircraft to an advanced, supersonic ISR platform. It can fly much faster and higher than a drone and is equipped with sensors that can detect enemy RADAR and even cell phone signals.

Another more down-to-earth example of modern SIGINT capabilities would be interception of electronic communications data by the NSA, which can provide actionable intelligence in real-time by capturing data like emails, texts, phone calls and more.

When raw SIGINT is captured, it must then be translated, interpreted or represented, as the case may be, into information which can then be analyzed and used for decision-making.

The Intelligence Community refers to the collection and exploitation of signals transmitted from communication systems, radars, and weapon systems as signals intelligence (SIGINT).

Communications Intelligence (COMINT) – technical and intelligence information derived from intercept of foreign communications.

Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) – information collected from systems such as radars and other weapons systems.
Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence (FISINT) – signals detected from weapons under testing and development.
SIGINT is collected in a variety of ways depending on the type of signal targeted. NSA collects the raw SIGINT and then NSA translators, cryptologists, analysts, and other technical experts turn the raw data into something that an all-source analyst can use.

This Perspective examines and challenges the assumption that signals intelligence (SIGINT) is an inherently governmental function by revealing nongovernmental approaches and technologies that allow private citizens to conduct SIGINT activities. RAND researchers relied on publicly available information to identify SIGINT capabilities in the open market and to describe the intelligence value each capability provides to users. They explore the implications each capability might provide to the United States and allied governments.

The team explored four technology areas where nongovernmental SIGINT is flourishing: maritime domain awareness; radio frequency (RF) spectrum mapping; eavesdropping, jamming, and hijacking of satellite systems; and cyber surveillance. They then identified areas where further research and debate are needed to create legal, regulatory, policy, process, and human capital solutions to the challenges these new capabilities provide to government.

This was an exploratory effort, rather than a comprehensive research endeavor. The team relied on unclassified and publicly available materials to find examples of capabilities that challenge the government-only paradigm. They identified ways these capabilities and trends may affect the U.S. government in terms of emerging threats, policy implications, technology repercussions, human capital considerations, and financial effects. Finally, they identified areas for future study for U.S. and allied government leaders to respond to these changes.

The volume and variety of today’s signals adds challenges to the timely production of finished intelligence for policymakers. It is a lot of work to track and analyze all the SIGINT collected.

SIGINT is one of the most useful sources of information and can often provide a new and different perspective on a critical intelligence topic for the nation’s policymakers.

A counterpart to SIGINT gathering is known as electronic support measures (ESM) to gain intelligence about the enemy. The information gained from electronic support measures may be used as the basis for ECM or ECCM, as well as for threat recognition, avoidance, targeting, and homing.

The most commonly practiced types of electronic warfare are jamming, which falls under the category of electronic countermeasures (ECM), and eavesdropping on enemy communications, which is known as signals intelligence (SIGINT) gathering. The purpose of jamming is to limit an enemy’s ability to exchange information by overriding radio transmissions or by sending signals to prevent radar detection or convey false information. Intelligence gathering has grown more significant in direct relation to the increased technical complexity of modern warfare and now plays an important role in determining whether states go to war in the first place.

The strategic response to ECM is electronic protective measures, also known as electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM), the purpose of which is to undermine enemy attempts to deny use of the electromagnetic spectrum. A common method is to quickly switch frequency channels according to a prescribed pattern, known only to the transmitter and the receiver. This technique is known as frequency-hopping spread spectrum.

SIGINT (signals intelligence) is information gained by the collection and analysis of the electronic signals and communications of a given target.

Intelligence, in this context, is information that provides an organization or individual with support for making decisions and possibly gaining a strategic advantage. The term is often abbreviated as “intel.” Intelligence agencies worldwide use SIGINT in both foreign and domestic data gathering.

Originally SIGINT mostly consisted of communications intelligence (COMINT). SIGINT now has two main fields: COMINT, which is gathered through accessing the communications of individuals, and ELINT (electronic intelligence), which is gathered through the use of electronic sensors. SIGINT has also been extended to encompass information gathered from other types of signal interception and the disruption of these signals. Those activities are not covered by privacy laws. Since the invention of radio, the general consensus has been that radio waves cannot be owned, so interception is legal and as such does not require warrants as wiretap does.

The U.S. intelligence community claims that it only uses SIGINT related to the communications of foreign entities for the purposes of national security. However, documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2013 and other revelations possibly brought about as a result of the Snowden effect demonstrate that the NSA has used many devices to gather SIGINT of both domestic and foreign targets through a program called Tailored Access Operations (TAO).

USB sticks secretly fitted with radio transmitters.

iPhone malware used to monitor the communications and activities of users.

Portable continuous wave generators that can monitor the keyboard activities of even offline computers through a keyboard vibration attack.

“LAMPSTAND” devices that can interfere with wireless connections at distances up to eight miles.

Signals intelligence specialists oversee the collection and exploitation of electromagnetic signals, including communication and non-communication signals. They operate sophisticated equipment to gather, sort, and scan intercepted foreign communications and non-communications. They identify and process the intercepted signals and perform analysis to establish target identification and operational patterns. They then take this information and produce combat, strategic, and tactical intelligence reports.

Signals intelligence, or SIGINT, is the interception and evaluation of coded enemy messages. From Enigma to Ultra, Purple to Lorenz, Room 40 to Bletchley, SIGINT has been instrumental in both victory and defeat during the First and Second World War.

The war in Europe was shaped and won for the Allies in the Pacific. In 1941 the Japanese Government was planning to attack America and the British in the Pacific but faced a problem. Russian troops were massed along the boarder with Manchuria where the Imperial Japanese Army was fighting the Chinese. Tokyo felt itself vulnerable to attack at any moment. The Russians, on the other hand were fighting a life and death battle against the German invaders whose army had advanced to the suburbs of Moscow.

To release army formations on both sides of the boarder the Russians and Japanese governments signed a Non Agression Pact which had global implications. The Russian reinforcements, who were mainly Mongolian and accustomed to Siberian weather, made a surprise attack on the German panzers in the depths of the Russia’s winter. The Red Army hurled back the Germans from the suburbs of Moscow and began its long campaign that finally ended in Berlin and victory for the Allies. Meanwhile the Japanese had gained the confidence with the protection of the treaty and the extra troops available to them declared unprovoked war and attacked Pearl Harbor.

America lacked the understanding of codes in the run up to war, so could not comprehend the importance of the Pact but they proved fast learners. The cracking of the Japanese Purple codes by America and her Allies runs through the campaigns of the Pacific like a golden thread as does the deciphering of the German Enigma in Europe. Purple guided the American commanders to victory in the classic sea battles of Coral Sea, Midway and many other actions in the Pacific. The domination of signals intelligence by American and Allied forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of war is a true tale of high adventure.