Lieutenant Walter Detrolio
2004-11-20 08:19:31 UTC
http://mediafilter.org/caq
Article: "Second Thoughts from the Second Oldest Profession.
Inside the US-Canada Spyworld."
By Mike Frost
[ Pictured is him on two of his Canadian security IDs ]
I was a spy. For almost two decades, I spied for Canada's Communications
Security Establishment (CSE), the most secret and least known branch of
National Defense. But although my paycheck came from the Canadian government,
more often than not, my orders, assignments, and much of my training ---
like those of many other CSE operators --- came from the National Security
Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Maryland.
Over the twelve years I spied for CSE, it became increasingly to resemble
the NSA. Both specialize in providing secure communications and signals
intelligence (SIGINT); both operated for years with little public knowledge
or legislative oversight until they were exposed by the media.
[snip]
Despite the similarities, CSE is treated more like a subsidiary than an
equal partner. US military and economic clout, as well as NSA's vastly
superior technical capabilities and near unlimited funds, allow Washington
to dominate.
And while CSE has only a $200-300 million dollar budget, NSA has an
estimated annual budget of almost $4 billion.
But the relationship is not without mutual benefits. CSE, NSA, and Britain's
Governme
Article: "Second Thoughts from the Second Oldest Profession.
Inside the US-Canada Spyworld."
By Mike Frost
[ Pictured is him on two of his Canadian security IDs ]
I was a spy. For almost two decades, I spied for Canada's Communications
Security Establishment (CSE), the most secret and least known branch of
National Defense. But although my paycheck came from the Canadian government,
more often than not, my orders, assignments, and much of my training ---
like those of many other CSE operators --- came from the National Security
Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Maryland.
Over the twelve years I spied for CSE, it became increasingly to resemble
the NSA. Both specialize in providing secure communications and signals
intelligence (SIGINT); both operated for years with little public knowledge
or legislative oversight until they were exposed by the media.
[snip]
Despite the similarities, CSE is treated more like a subsidiary than an
equal partner. US military and economic clout, as well as NSA's vastly
superior technical capabilities and near unlimited funds, allow Washington
to dominate.
And while CSE has only a $200-300 million dollar budget, NSA has an
estimated annual budget of almost $4 billion.
But the relationship is not without mutual benefits. CSE, NSA, and Britain's
Governme