The United States Army Security
Agency (ASA) was, from 1945
through 1976, the United States
Army's electronic intelligence
branch. Its motto was "Vigilant
Always." The Agency was the
successor to a number of Army
signals intelligence operations
dating back to World War I. As
well as intelligence gathering,
it also had responsibility for
the security of Army
communications and for
electronic countermeasures
operations. In 1976, the USASA
was merged with the US Army
Military Intelligence component
in a process which formed the
United States Army Intelligence
and Security Command (INSCOM).
Composed primarily of soldiers
with the very highest scores on
Army intelligence tests, the ASA
was tasked with monitoring and
interpreting military
communications of the Soviet
Union, the People’s Republic of
China, and their allies and
client states around the world.
ASA was directly subordinate to
the National Security Agency and
all field stations had NSA tech
reps on site.
All gathered information had
time sensitive value depending
on its importance and
classification. Information was
passed through intelligence
channels within hours of
intercept for the lowest
priority items, but in as little
as 10 minutes for the most
highly critical information.
ASA personnel were stationed at
locations around the globe,
wherever the United States had a
military presence -- publicly
acknowledged or otherwise.
Although not officially serving
under the ASA name, cover
designation being Radio
Research, ASA personnel were
among the earliest U.S. military
advisors in Vietnam. The first
ASA combat fatality in Vietnam
took place in 1961. This was
Specialist James T. Davis for
whom Davis Station in Saigon was
named. President Lyndon Johnson
later termed Davis "the first
American to fall in the defense
of our freedom in Vietnam". All
ASA personnel processed in
country through Davis Station.
ASA personnel were attached to
Army infantry and armored
cavalry units throughout the
Vietnam War. Some select teams
were also attached to MACV/SOG
and Special Forces units.
ASA military occupational
specialties (MOSs) included
linguists, morse code intercept
operators, non-morse (teletype
and voice) intercept operators,
communications security
specialists, direction-finding
equipment operators,
cryptographers, communications
analysts, and electronic
maintenance technicians, among
others. ASA had its own separate
training facilities, MP corps,
communication centers and chain
of command.
These occupations, which
required top secret clearance,
were essential to U.S. Cold War
efforts. ASA units operated in
shifts, 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. ASA troops were not
allowed to discuss their
operations with outsiders — in
fact, they could not talk among
themselves about their duties
unless they were in a secure
location. Even today, decades
after they served, some of the
missions still cannot be
discussed. Owing to the
sensitivity of the information
with which they worked, ASA
soldiers were subject to travel
restrictions during and long
after their time in service. The
activities of the U.S. Army
Security Agency have only
recently been partially
declassified.
Jim Lynn, 1SG
James Wesley Lynn, ASA Vet, US Army, The
Happy Warrior, "...on behalf of a grateful
nation and the United States Army ..."
M/SGT USAF
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