Outline of what America's National Security Agency (NSA) does, how large it is, its annual budget, as well as a complete history.

The National Security Agency Although code making and breaking are ancient practices, modern cryptologic communications intelligence activities in the United States date from the World War I period and radio communications technology. The National Security Agency, or NSA, was designed for just such a purpose. Since its formal creation in 1952, it has evolved into one of the largest security agencies with an annual budget of 7.2 billion dollars. The NSA, while not a military organization, is …

…will continue to be a major player in all aspects of security not only in the United States, but globally. Had NSA's special skills not been utilized in the Battle of Midway, World War II, or the Cuban Missile Crisis far more of our people would have died. The art of cryptology will always be necessary because knowledge is power. Individual citing is unnecessary. All information was gathered from: http://www.nsa.gov/wwii/papers/