UKUSA Agreement
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The United Kingdom – United States of America Agreement is a multilateral agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The alliance of intelligence operations is also known as the Five Eyes. In classification markings this is abbreviated as FVEY, with the individual countries being abbreviated as AUS, CAN, NZL, GBR, and USA, respectively.
The Waihopai Valley Facility – base of the New Zealand branch of the ECHELON Program
This diagram depicts the relationship between the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the so-called "second parties", which comprises the UKUSA community, and the "third parties" made up of members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and other Western allies: NSA and second parties—Extensive mutual sharing of signals intelligence NSA and third parties—Signals intelligence is funnelled to the NSA in exchange for surveillance technology and monetary compensation.
Cover page of the 1946 UKUSA Agreement
Signatures of the Chiefs of staff of Britain and America (March 1946)
Signals intelligence
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Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether communications between people or from electronic signals not directly used in communication. Signals intelligence is a subset of intelligence collection management. As classified and sensitive information is usually encrypted, signals intelligence may necessarily involve cryptanalysis. Traffic analysis—the study of who is signaling to whom and in what quantity—is also used to integrate information, and it may complement cryptanalysis.
RAF Menwith Hill, a large site in the United Kingdom, part of ECHELON and the UKUSA Agreement in 2005
A German message intercepted by the British during World War II, signaling Germany's unconditional surrender
Zimmermann Telegram, as decoded by Room 40 in 1917
A Mark 2 Colossus computer. The ten Colossi were the world's first programmable electronic computers, and were built to break the German codes.