NSA Equivlent ?

Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but I have been wondering and researching and I'm yet to find anything, But do the UK have an Equivlent to the NSA (National Security Agency). Thank you in advance.

we have, MI5, MI6, Scotland Yard, those all come together to for "national security."

MI5 = mainland security from forgien threats MI6 = counter intelligence Scotland Yard = mainland security from internal threats

Most of the "government intelligence" organisations in the uk if not all are assisted by GCHQ in cheltenham. (Govenment Comunications Headquaters) they are the UK's intelligence collection agency sometimes refered to as SIGINT which stands for Signals Intelligence. (probably going relating back to Wartime and the signals being the ones who set up all the coms such) as I say they are based in Cheltenham but have sites all over the UK (not sure but I think inpartnership with the NSA they probably work out of Menwith Hill/Fillingdales in yorkshire) and Overseas. They are the ones who do all the collection, decryption, translation and some interpretation of data. they pass the data onto the different Government agencies such as MI5, MI6, NCIS (National Criminal Investigation Service) which is kind of the british FBI, also the MOD etc. etc. GCHQ shares resources with the NSA and has loads of custom designed Computer systems for the code breaking and decryption they do. Do a search for Echelon and a report by Duncan Campell for an interesting if worrying read. GCHQ's duties along with Collection of intellegence data include monitoring and/or interfering with electromagnetic, acoustic emission and equiptment producing such emissions and to obtain and provide information derived form them along with info from encrypted data. basically what that means is GCHQ has the ability and is allowed to disrupt or intefere with communications systems and services.

Part of the NCIS mandate is as follows:

Section 2 of the Police Act (1997) states that the functions of NCIS are:

* to gather, store and analyse information in order to provide criminal intelligence
* to provide criminal intelligence to police forces in Great Britain, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the National Crime Squad and other law enforcement agencies
* to act in support of such police forces, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the National Crime Squad and other law enforcement agencies carrying out their criminal intelligence activities.

Basically and reading broadly into that, the NCIS carries out covert infiltration of organised crime units within the country, gathering information to pass onto the relevent organisation. thye work in conjunction with other law enforcement and intellegence organisations.

Edited to add the following link to some info on Echelon

http://home.hiwaay.net/~pspoole/echres.html

I know this posts slightly off the original topic, but its all linked :)

ahh yeah GCHQ, thats what i couldnt remmeber.

knew it was a G, but i thought it had a 9 in it somewhere, or maybe im thinking of the armed responce unit :-/

lol cheers guys thanks for clearing that one up for me.