The NSA has its own police force, known as NSA Police (and formerly as NSA Security Protective Force) which provides law enforcement services, emergency response and physical security to the NSA's people and property. NSA Police are armed federal officers.

NSA provides foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) to our nation's policymakers and military forces. SIGINT plays a vital role in our national security by providing America's leaders with critical information they need to defend our country, save lives, and advance U.S. goals and alliances globally.

As a defense agency, NSA operates under the authority of the Department of Defense. As a member of the Intelligence Community, NSA also operates under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. NSA/CSS activities are subject to strict scrutiny and oversight both from the outside and from within.

While both the CIA and NSA focus on gathering and analyzing intelligence, one of the primary differences between them is that the CIA is often focused on human intelligence gathering. While at the same time, the NSA specializes in signals intelligence.