Thomas Drake’s Fight Against the War on Terror

Lauren Journet

Professor Shirk

Global Politics of Terrorism

25 April 2018

Thomas Drake’s Fight Against the War on Terror

On the topic of data surveillance, both domestically and internationally, it is unclear whether or not the methods are justified and effective. If the surveillance works to protect other people, the argument for justification and effectiveness is far more persuasive. But this is only justified if the rights of the people are not infringed upon, particularly those people on American soil. Thomas Drake began his time with the National Security Agency in 1989 as a software evaluator for contracting. It took until the year 2001 for Drake to be hired as a full-time employee of the NSA. His first day on the job was the morning of the September 11th attacks. His time with the NSA brought on a battle with the War on terror, specifically methods of data surveillance.

He was initially brought on the force with the job of keeping the NSA relevant, creating alterations across the board and was in the process of building a change leadership team. Soon after the attacks, the NSA asked all employees for any and all information they had. Nothing was insignificant and everything was analyzed as they persisted terminating the threat. Drake was tasked with finding the answers to the threat at large and making sense of the piles of data from the surveillance following the 9/11 attacks. He was told that the NSA had rejected a computation and analysis software called Thin Thread about one month before the attacks on September llth, prompting Drake to renew his connections to the system. With a two-page implementation plan drawn up, Drake recommended placing the Thin Thread software in the top 18 terrorist websites. Meanwhile, Drake found out that the NSA was using unclassified and unwarranted surveillance methods. In doing so, they were going against their oath of office.

The oath for the National Security Agency can be found online and reads as follows:

“I will support and defend…

the Constitution of the United States…

against all enemies foreign and domestic

that I take this obligation freely…

without any mental reservation…

or purpose of evasion…”

The primary statement from the above excerpt pledges that members of the NSA will keep the country safe from all enemies foreign and domestic. By using the software that breached the security and privacy of civilians, the NSA became a domestic enemy of sorts. The following statement pledges that members of the NSA are under oath with accordance of their will and do not have any intentions of going against their words and taking advantage of their privilege in serving the country. However, they knowingly and intentionally invaded the privacy of countless American citizens. Thomas Drake was doing exactly what the NSA was not in terms of their oath. He was supporting and defending the Constitution from domestic enemies while under oath without the purpose of evasion.

It should be noted that Drake acted in accordance with the legal protection laws for whistleblowers at the time. He worked alongside the legal protocols for employees of the government, as there protections for employees that detect any questionable activities. Working based off of what the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, Thomas Drake primarily listed a complaint to internal authorities. This included his bosses, Inspector Generals, and the House and Senate intelligence committees. Legally, Drake did everything right. But he was soon brought to trial and charged with espionage, the first American to receive the charge in about forty years. But so long as Drake pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor of misusing the National Security Agency’s computer system, the government agreed to drop all other charges against Drake, cutting out jail time. The judge finalized Thomas Drake’s sentence Drake with 240 hours of community service in addition to one year of probation.

The government’s abuse of surveillance is still a very relevant topic. While Thomas Drake was working with the National Security Agency, he fought for the rights of all citizens. He knew that the methods of data surveillance could only be justified and effective if they protected the people of America. He protected the right of all citizens, the rights that the NSA so carelessly infringed upon. And in doing this, he brought on a battle against the War on Terror.

Works Cited

“Former NSA Senior Executive Charged with Illegally Retaining Classified Information,

Obstructing Justice and Making False Statements.” The United States Department of

Justice, 15 Apr. 2010, www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-nsa-senior-executive-charged-

illegally-retaining-classified-information-obstructing.

“NSA Espionage Case: Thomas Drake Pleads Guilty to Computer Violation, Espionage Charges

to Be Dropped.” Tribunedigital-Baltimoresun, 10 June 2011,

articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-06-10/news/bs-md-nsa-drake-guilty-20110609_1_espion

age-case-drake-case-espionage-act.

Shane, Scott. “Former N.S.A. Official Is Indicted on Charges of Leaking Secrets.” The New York

Times, The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2010,

www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/us/16indict.html.

“The FRONTLINE Interview: Thomas Drake – United States of Secrets.” PBS, Public

Broadcasting Service,www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/government-elections-

politics/united-states-of-secrets/the-frontline-interview-thomas-drake/.