Sept. 19, 2024

The Women of NSA: Codemakers and Codebreakers

They cracked the Enigma machine and defeated Nazi Germany. They helped us stay a step ahead of the Soviet Union’s spies. They led cybersecurity modernizations to keep us safe. And today, they’re leading NSA efforts to defend the nation. These are the women of NSA.
Learn from a historian and a mathematician about the storied history of women’s contributions to the NSA mission and national security. From World War II through the Cold War to the present day, women have been critical contributors to NSA’s foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity missions.
 

Check out the episode wherever you get your podcasts:

Oct. 26, 2022

Women Cryptologists of World War II Honored with USPS Forever Stamp

FORT MEADE, Md. — Seated under a tent outside the newly opened National Cryptologic Museum (NCM) on a crisp, autumn morning, GEN Paul M. Nakasone, Commander, USCYBERCOM, Director NSA/Chief, CSS, NSA leaders, United States Postal Service (USPS) officials, and other special guests gathered to honor the work of the Women Cryptologists of World War II at the first-day-of-issue ceremony for a Forever Stamp.

Aug. 4, 2020

Pioneering Codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman Honored by U.S. Coast Guard

FORT MEADE, Md. — Elizebeth Friedman, an original member of the NSA/CSS Cryptologic Hall of Honor and known as one of America’s first female cryptanalysts, is being honored by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard last week announced the 11th ship in its new Legend-Class National Security Cutter (NSC) program will be named in honor of Ms. Friedman, who worked with the Coast Guard during prohibition and became a crucial part of the effort to enforce the ban on liquor.