The SIGINT Seniors are a coalition of spy agencies headed by the NSA that works together on global security issues by monitoring communications and sharing information. The coalition consists of two groups: SIGINT Seniors Europe and SIGINT Seniors Pacific. The existence of the coalition was found in classified documents from the Snowden revelations.
The European alliance was founded in 1982 during the Cold War, originally with nine members, and has worked together to monitor communications during major European sporting events such as football championships and Olympic games. The leaked documents indicate that Seniors Europe hold a conference each year in a different location.
The Pacific division (known as SSPAC) was founded in 2005, in response to developments in the war on terror and the increase in terrorist activities in Asia.
In March 2018, the coalition was revealed to have 17 members. The USA, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and India.
Additional Information
- The NSA refers to the European alliance as the “14 Eyes”.
- Japan is believed to have turned down the opportunity to join in 2007.
Last updated: 9 June 2018