Some Sigint Together With Comsec During The Nuclear Safety Summit

(UPDATED: May 17, 2014)

On March 24 in addition to 25, the 3rd Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) is held inwards The Hague, the topographic point of the authorities of the Netherlands. As 58 basis leaders volition hold out present, including USA president Obama, the pinnacle takes house nether severe safety measures.

Here nosotros volition receive got a await at some noticable things on the Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) in addition to Communications Security (COMSEC) front, peculiarly regarding the American president. When some novel details or pictures come upward up, they volition hold out added.

US presidential motorcade

On the morn of Monday, March 24, president Obama flew inwards aboard Air Force One, accompanied past times all the famous vehicles similar the helicopters which go Marine One when he is aboard, in addition to the cars of the presidential motorcade. As tin hold out seen inwards this video, in that place are genuinely four identical in addition to heavily armored presidential limousines, thus 2 motorcades amongst each 2 identical limousines tin hold out formed - thus no 1 knows which 1 is carrying the president.

One of the final cars inwards the motorcade is the WHCA Roadrunner which is recognizable past times a small-scale satellite dome in addition to a number of VHF whip antennas on a roof platform. Also known every bit the Mobile Command in addition to Control Vehicle (MC2V), it serves every bit the communications hub for the motorcade past times beaming upward encrypted duplex radio in addition to streaming video to a state of war machine satellite, which inwards plow beams that information dorsum downwardly to a basis entry call for in addition to through to the switchboard of the White House Communication Agency (WHCA).

The WHCA Roadrunner arriving inwards Noordwijk, where Obama is staying
(still from a video past times VOLMedia)

The WHCA Roadrunner on its means from Noordwijk to The Hague
amongst the satellite dome in addition to v VHF antennas on its roof
(photo: madebymaus posted at NUfoto.nl)

US communications aircraft

Also nowadays is an aircraft most people don't know of in addition to volition rarely see. But it was noticed past times air traffic spotters: a small-scale USA Army Beechcraft RC-12P Huron amongst tail number 92-13123 entered Dutch airspace some the same fourth dimension every bit Air Force One.

H5N1 Beechcraft RC-12P surveillance in addition to communications aircraft
(photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The DRT devices, which tin hold out used to intercept in addition to monitor brusk arrive at radio in addition to jail cellphone telephone communications.

When next the president, the Beechcraft is in all likelihood also used every bit an additional communications hub betwixt for event the presidential motorcade in addition to the White House Communication Agency (WHCA) every bit this aircraft tin also serve every bit a relay for satellite communications. The mission equipment of the RC-12P version includes datalink capability, in addition to has fibre eye cabling in addition to smaller in addition to lighter fly pods.

The Doomsday Plane

Another interesting bird that followed Air Force One is a Boeing E-4B that serves every bit National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC). It's also known every bit the "Doomsday Plane" because during the Cold War in that place was e'er 1 of these aircraft inwards the air to render a survivable platform inwards the number of a nuclear attack. Its master copy codename was "Nightwatch", derived from the famous Rembrandt icon that Obama saw during his see to Amsterdam.

On March 24, bird spotters noticed an E-4B amongst tail number 75-0125 next Air Force One when entering European airspace. When the USA president travels exterior North America, the E-4B lands on an airdrome inside several hundred miles of the president's destination, to hold out readily available inwards the number of an emergency that renders Air Force One unusable. It's non yet known where the E-4B landed during the Nuclear Security Summit.

H5N1 Boeing E-4B National Airborne Operations Center plane
(photo: Sergio Perez Aguado)

World leaders' telephones

For secure telephone calls, president Obama tin utilisation his highly secured BlackBerry, which connects to a secure base of operations station that follows him where ever he goes. In the film below nosotros tin run across he also brought his BlackBerry to the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit on March 24:

Obama in addition to his BlackBerry at the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit
(photo: Yves Herman/Pool/European Pressphoto Agency)

The WHCA also installs secure wireline phones at every house the president stays. Nowadays that includes a vIPer 'Universal Secure Phone' which tin connect through analog, digital or VoIP networks, in addition to a Cisco IP telephone that connects to the highly secured Executive Voice over Secure IP-network through dedicated in addition to encrypted satellite links.

Other basis leaders volition also receive got brought their ain equipment for secure communications amongst their capitals, including landline in addition to mobile telephones that are able to perform end-to-end encryption of the calls.

For example, German linguistic communication chancellor Angela Merkel tin utilisation her secured BlackBerry 10 smartphone or a landline secured past times the Elcrodat 6-2 encryption device. The French president François Hollande has a Teorem secure jail cellphone telephone in addition to tin also house secure calls through a wireline DCS 500 telephone set.

The British prime number government minister David Cameron tin house secure calls past times using a Brent 2 secure telephone. Apparently he also uses 1 or 2 mobile phones, only from the film below it's hard to recognize their construct in addition to type. It's also non clear whether they receive got whatsoever encryption capability.

British Prime Minister David Cameron attends the
opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit
(photo: Reuters/Sean Gallup/Pool)

Russian spy ships?

There was some speculation almost 2 Russian crab angling trawlers lying inwards the harbour of Scheveningen, which is a small-scale port adjacent to The Hague. People noticed that these ships had thus many antennas, in addition to idea they could hold out Russian spy ships, trying to intercept communications from the basis leaders assist the Nuclear Security Summit.

Two Russian trawlers inwards Scheveningen
(photo: Ferry Mingelen)

However, it stated out that both ships, from Petropavlovsk-Kamtsjatski inwards the far eastern utilisation of Russia, came inwards 3 weeks agone having problems amongst their engines. This was solved rather quickly, only thus problems amongst some neccessary certificates appeared, in addition to both ships had to remain until that number has been cleared.

Regarding the antennas, some people say that they are quite ordinary HF in addition to VHF antennas, which were used past times ships earlier maritime satellite communication was introduced.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had a large fleet of angling trawlers that conducted covert signals intelligence gathering. Nowadays, known Russian spy ships are ofttimes much larger state of war machine vessels, which don't receive got to go into the territorial waters of a province they desire to monitor, only tin operate safely from international waters. An event is the Viktor Leonov SSV-175 from the Vishnya class inwards the film below, only a shipping similar this 1 has non been seen nigh the Netherlands.

The Russian spy shipping Viktor Leonov SSV-175
(photo: Stringer/Reuters)

Update:
About 2 months later, the Dutch Military Intelligence in addition to Security Service (MIVD) said that after the pictures of the 2 Russian trawlers were posted on Twitter, they took a closer await at them in addition to had to conclude these ships were also far away from the Summit place to impose a eavesdropping threat.