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(U) LION'S PRIDE - Fighting Terrorism on the Horn of Africa
FROM: Captain Katie Pierce, USA
Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Lion's Pride
Run Date: 03/01/2005
Ethiopian location and linguistics + US technology and training = more intelligence on terrorism
in the Horn of Africa (S//SI)
(S//SI) NSA has an advantage when dealing with the Global War on Terrorism in the Horn of
Africa: the Deployed SIGINT Operations Center (aka Lion's Pride), located in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia. Since its inception in February 2002, Lion's Pride has evolved from 12 workstations and
approximately the same number of Ethiopians performing one mission, to 46 multi-functional
workstations and 103 Ethiopians, along with the help of eight US military personnel, performing
five missions.
(S//SI) The Annual Planning Conference attendees get together for a photograph after a short
farewell ceremony for a Lion's Pride team member.
(S//SI) Due in large part to Lion's Pride, the US-Ethiopia Third Party relationship, established
after 9/11, continually emanates success. The benefit of this relationship is that the Ethiopians
provide the location and linguists and we provide the technology and training. Ethiopia is ideally
located in the Horn, surrounded by bordering countries whose governmental stability is
questionable. These surrounding countries' rules of law provide ample opportunities for terrorist
to hide and seek refuge, gather logistics, train, and plan and prepare their activities. Ethiopia's
position provides the partnership unique access to the targets.
(S//SI) Additionally, the Ethiopians have an unwavering willingness to expand the partnership
and provide linguist support for US needs. In fact, even in the midst of increased hostilities
between Ethiopia and Eritrea, General Yohannes, Chief of the Ethiopian Military Intelligence
Directorate, has said that the current political discussions between our countries will not affect
the valued partnership, and added that plans to strengthen the relationship continue.
(S//SI) The Lion's Pride mission has expanded three-fold: it now processes HF (High Frequency)
and non-HF collection from multiple outside sources and collects and processes HF from Sudan,
Somalia and Yemen. In 2004, Lion's Pride sent nearly 7700 transcripts to GRSOC and over 900
reports were generated from these transcripts (many being sole source reports from Lion's
Pride). The intelligence collected and processed has proven significant to the fight against
terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
(S//SI) Lion's Pride recently hosted its first Annual Planning Conference. Attendees included
representatives from the Ethiopian Military Intelligence Directorate (E-MID), FAD , RT*/GRSOC,
741 st MI BN*, European Technical Center, CJTF-HOA*, Lion's Pride, and the CIA Station, US
Embassy, Addis Ababa. Topics of discussion included an overview of the E-MID organization,
SIGINT-HUMINT interaction, the partner's wish list, equipment status and software upgrades,
training, armament software, new areas of cooperation, and mission overviews. After the
discussion portion of the conference, attendees traveled to Gondar, Ethiopia, to experience one
of the three Lion's Pride Remote Sites first hand. Lion's Pride is poised to remain at the head of
our efforts in the Horn of Africa.
(U) After visiting a Remote Site, APC attendees had some fun touring the Gondar Castles, which
were built in the 16th Century.
* (U) Notes:
RT = Regional Targets
MI BN = Military Intelligence Battalion
CJTF-HOA = Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa
(U) This article is reprinted from February's Foreign Affairs Digest.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108