Government Communications Headquarters
Since 1994, GCHQ activities have been subject to scrutiny by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee. Post-Cold War, the aims of GCHQ were set out by the Intelligence Services Act (1994).
At the end of 2003, GCHQ moved to a new circular HQ (popularly known as 'the Doughnut'): at the time, it was the second-largest public-sector building project in Europe, with an estimated cost of £337 million.[17] The new building, which was designed by Gensler and constructed by Carillion[18], is the base for all of GCHQ's Cheltenham operations.
The public spotlight fell on GCHQ in late 2003 and early 2004 following the sacking of Katharine Gun after she leaked a confidential email from agents at the American National Security Agency to GCHQ agents about the wire-tapping of UN delegates in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq war.
GCHQ gains its intelligence by monitoring a wide variety of communications and other electronic signals. For this a number of stations have been established in the UK and overseas which are run by the Composite Signals Organisation for GCHQ. The Composite Signals Organisation Station, at Morwenstow near Bude, Cornwall is directly subordinate to GCHQ.[citation needed] The listening stations are at Cheltenham itself, GCHQ CSO Morwenstow, GCHQ CSO Ascension Island, with the U.S.A. at Menwith Hill, and the Columbia Annex (CANX).[citation needed] Ayios Nikolaos Station on Cyprus is run by the British Armed Forces for GCHQ.
In addition to SIGINT, GCHQ provides assistance to Government Departments on their own communications security. This task is given to the Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG) of GCHQ. CESG is the UK national technical authority for information assurance, including cryptography. CESG does not manufacture security equipment, but works with industry to ensure the availability of suitable products and services, while GCHQ itself can fund research into such areas, for example to the Centre for Quantum Computing at Oxford University.
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ECHELON
GCHQ, in partnership with its equivalent agencies in the United States (National Security Agency), Canada (Communications Security Establishment), Australia (Defence Signals Directorate) and New Zealand (Government Communications Security Bureau), otherwise known as the UKUSA group, is believed to be responsible for the operation of the ECHELON system.[19] Its capabilities are suspected to include the ability to monitor a large proportion of the world's transmitted civilian telephone, fax and data traffic, primarily by way of satellite intercepts. [20]
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GCHQ and the constitution
GCHQ actually determined the scope of judicial review on prerogative (residual powers from common law) in a very controversial case. This occurred in "Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service [1985] AC 347 (often known simply as the 'GCHQ case')". In this case, a prerogative order in council was used by the Prime Minister (who is the Minister for the Civil Service) to ban trade union activities by civil servants working at GCHQ. This order was issued without consultation. The House of Lords had to decide whether this was reviewable by Judicial Review. It was held that executive action is not immune from Judicial Review because it is carried out in the pursuit of power derived from common law (i.e. prerogative is reviewable). Controversially, they also held that though the failure to consult was unfair, it was overridden by concerns of national security.
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Leadership
The following is a list of the heads of the operational heads of GCHQ and GC&CS [1], [2]:
- Alastair Denniston (1921- February 1942) (continued as Deputy Director (Diplomatic and Commercial) until 1945).
- Sir Edward Travis (February 1942-1952)
- Sir Eric Jones (April 1952-1960)
- Sir Clive Loehnis (1960-1964)
- Sir Leonard Hooper (1965-1973)
- Sir Arthur Bonsall (1973-1978)
- Sir Brian John Maynard Tovey (1978-1983)
- Sir Peter Marychurch (1983-1989)
- Sir John Anthony Adye (1989-1996)
- Sir David Omand (July 1996-December 1997)
- Sir Kevin Tebbit (January 1998-July 1998)
- Sir Francis Richards (July 1998-April 2003)
- Sir David Pepper (April 2003 to present) (Intends to retire July 2008) [21]
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See also
- Zircon, the cancelled GCHQ satellite project
- Hugh Alexander — head of the cryptanalysis division at GCHQ from 1949–1971
- Geoffrey Prime, a former employee of GCHQ, convicted both of spying for the Soviet Union and of sexual offences involving children.
- Capenhurst
- National Security Agency
- PFI cost overruns
- John Johnson, The Evolution of British Sigint: 1653–1939, 1997
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References
- ^ Gloucestershire Echo, 23 July 1998, p. 3
- ^ James Bamford (1983). "Afterword", The Puzzle Palace. Penguin Books, pp.481-502. ISBN 0 14 00.6748 5.
- ^ Johnson, p. 27
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, 1997, p. 44
- ^ Johnson, 1997, p. 45 and Kahn, 1991, p. 82; these sources give different numbers for the initial size of the GCCS staff
- ^ Macksey, Kenneth (2003). The Searchers: Radio Intecept in Two World Wars. Cassell, p58. ISBN 0-304-36545-9.
- ^ Michael Smith, "GC&CS and the First Cold War," p. 16-17 in Action this Day edited by Ralph Erskine and Michael Smith, 2001
- ^ Kahn, 1991, p. 82
- ^ Alastair G. Denniston, "The Government Code and Cypher School Between the Wars", Intelligence and National Security 1(1), January 1986, pp 48-70
- ^ Smith, 2001, pp. 20-21
- ^ Smith, 2001, pp. 18-19
- ^ David Alvarez, GC&CS and American Diplomatic Cryptanalysis
- ^ Smith, Michael (1998). Station X. Channel 4 books, p176. ISBN 0-330-41929-3.
- ^ History of GCHQ Cheltenham. GCHQ website 'About Us' pages. Retrieved on 2006-06-29.
- ^ Union representation. GCHQ website. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
- ^ "Sacked GCHQ workers win compensation", BBC News, 2000-02-01. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
- ^ Industry projects: GCHQ. designbuild-network website. Retrieved on 2006-04-12.
- ^ Carillion is redeveloping Cheltenham intelligence centre
- ^ European Parliament Report on ECHELON (July 2001). Retrieved on 2006-08-14.;
- ^ ECHELON; Worldwide conversations being received by the ECHELON system may fall into the wrong hands and innocent people may be tagged as spies. 60 Minutes (2000-02-27). Retrieved on 2006-07-02.
- ^ Retirement of Sir David Pepper
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External links
- Government Communications Headquarters
- Her Majesty's Government Communications Centre
- Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG)
- GovCertUK
- The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)
- Centre for the Protection of National Infastructure
- Security Service - MI5
- Secret Intelligence Service - MI6
- New Scotland Yard Counter Terrorism Command
- The National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (NETCU)
- UK Resilience
- Health Protection Agency
- Counter Terrorism Science and Technology Labs
- Defence Science and Technology Labs
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