Welcome to the National Security Agency - NSA/CSS

1. What is NSA/CSS doing to protect our environment?
2. Does NSA/CSS assist charitable organizations?
3. Are there any community health programs supported by the NSA/CSS?
4. How does NSA support local educational programs?
5. What educational opportunities does NSA provide?

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1. What is NSA/CSS doing to protect our environment?

All we can! NSA/CSS maintains a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS). What that means is that we continuously strive to keep doing our mission while being good stewards of our environment. We have developed robust pollution prevention, green procurement, and recycling programs.

Quick Facts:

In 2007, NSA/CSS:

• Sent over 1,143 tons of construction and demolition debris to be recycled;
• Processed and reused 3 tons of waste oil;
• Reclaimed 235 tons of precious metals from film, chips, and circuit boards;
• Recycled 970 tons of computers, e-scrap and electronic test equipment;
• Deposited 50 tons of glass, newspaper, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles into recycling bins throughout our campus; and,
• Recycled over 900 tons of cardboard - enough to make over 5 million grocery bags.

We also declassified and recycled over 2,000 tons of water-soluble paper; that paper was converted to pulp, sold to paper companies, and converted into everything from pizza boxes to wrappers.

In fact,
NSA/CSS recycles nearly 4,600 TONS of various materials ANNUALLY.

Through 2008 and beyond, we're moving toward environmentally sustainable building design and construction. Using the criteria set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council, we're changing our construction materials and methods to create a better indoor environment for our employees. This effort embraces a more responsible use of materials in the building; in this way, we reduce the impact of our building on both our people AND the environment.

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2. Does NSA/CSS assist charitable organizations?

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the only official charitable contribution recipient for the federal government. It offers employees the opportunity to make a one-time donation, or set up year-round payroll deductions, to the charities of their choice.

During the 2009 campaign year (the latest year for which figures are available), approximately 37.2% ($2.38 million) of the total contributions received by the Chesapeake Bay Area CFC came from NSA employees, contractors and retirees. Since its inception in 1961, NSA employees have contributed more than $41.6 million to the campaign; that has put us in the "Million Dollar Club" for more than 23 consecutive years.

In 2009, there were 226 CFCs across the United States, including the overseas campaign. When ranked by total dollars donated to each CFC, Chesapeake Bay Area was the third largest campaign. If NSA was on that list as its own CFC, the Agency would have been the 27th largest.

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3. Are there any community health programs supported by the NSA/CSS?

NSA/CSS participates in the Red Cross Blood Donor Program, Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, and tissue and organ donor registries. We’ve been operating in partnership with the American Red Cross for 40 years. NSA is the largest single source of blood product for the greater Chesapeake/Potomac region. From July 2009 through June 2010, employees at 14 NSA locations donated 4,759 units of blood. We have been honored with the “Life Board Achievement Award” for our participation. NSA also cooperates with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center to make platelet donations possible on a weekly basis. Agency employees donated 100 units of platelets through this program between July 2009 and July 2010.

In addition, the NSA/CSS Donor Program supports the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, registering individuals for the National Bone Marrow Registry (NBMR). At the health fairs and blood drives we sponsor during the year, employees are encouraged to join the NBMR. NSA has registered 4,674 employees for the NBMR, and 24 NSA employees have been asked to donate bone marrow to save another person’s life. NSA also partners with the Donate Life Maryland to facilitate education and registration of potential organ and tissue donors.

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4. How does NSA support local educational programs?

NSA's Outreach Program works closely with federal, state and local government agencies, academic institutions, and the business community to connect people and share information. The Outreach Program also helps increase local and national interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education - skills critical to the NSA mission.

The NSA Mathematics Education Partnership Program (MEPP) was established to promote math and science education. MEPP is very successful, with over 100 currently active partnerships that include: math and science talks and fairs, summer teacher instruction, Math and Related Sciences (MARS) camp, and the Presidential Classroom.

The Partners in Education (PIE) program is a collaborative effort among NSA, the Ft. Meade Installation Commander, and the Ft. Meade High School feeder system. PIE is designed to enhance the core skills of students in areas with direct relevance to NSA's official missions. The program helps students to develop organization, study, and decision-making skills that broaden their interests and promote self-esteem through accomplishments.

NSA Outreach also has close relationships with colleges and universities throughout the country, and partners with NSA's business outreach entities in an effort to foster and improve partnerships with the private sector.

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5. What educational opportunities does NSA provide?

NSA offers several programs for both high school and college students. Local high school students may elect to participate in the High School Work Study Program or the Vocational Technical Program. Both programs allow students to contribute to real-world projects in their area of interest while working part-time at NSA.

The Stokes Educational Scholarship Program is an opportunity like no other. While the program is open to all students, it especially encourages minority participation. It's for high school seniors planning to study computer science or computer or electrical engineering, and for college sophomores studying certain foreign languages, mathematics, or other fields that could lead to a career in intelligence analysis. Students receive tuition to the U.S. college of their choice, work during the summer at NSA in areas that are commensurate to their respective courses of study, and have a guaranteed job with NSA after graduation.

College students may take advantage of the Co-operative Education Program (Co-op). Co-op program participants earn a competitive salary and enjoy full benefits, including travel reimbursement, tuition assistance, and more. Co-op students alternate semesters of full-time work with semesters of full-time study. Students who are in their second semester freshman and sophomore years, majoring in electrical/computer engineering, computer science, business, finance or accounting, are eligible to apply.

To learn more about these and other educational and employment programs available at NSA, please visit the Academia section of our web site.

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