Behind them, in the near-windowless tubelike fuselage, eighteen analysts, eavesdroppers, and linguists hunched over racks of gray machines with blinking scopes and black dials that lined the long bulkhead on either side of the cabin. In addition to Osborn, there were five other members of the flight crew, including two more pilots the three would take turns resting and flying. Then as the airspeed indicators hit 133 knots, Osborn pulled back on the yoke and the aircraft's nose wheel lifted gently from Runway 4 Left. Loaded with twenty-nine tons of jet fuel, the plane lumbered forward. Cleared for takeoff." Osborn, a native Nebraskan with a dark receding hair-line and heavy caterpillar brows, moved the power levers forward again and placed his feet on the rudder pedals. Hence the daily EP-3E patrols.Īt 4:47 a.m., the word came from the tower. But within the intelligence bureaucracy, more spies mean more power for those in charge, whether they are needed or not.
And then just two miles from Kadena was the NSA's Hanza Remote Collection Facility, a massive electronic ear facing China, and scores of additional intercept operators.
There, hundreds of agency operators sat with their ears constantly tuned to Chinese frequencies and their eyes scanning Chinese intercepts 24/7.
In addition to its vast number of cyber spies at Fort Meade focused on China, the NSA also had the world's largest and most expensive fleet of spy satellites orbiting over the country every ninety minutes, as well as half a dozen expansive and costly listening posts stretching from northern Japan to South Korea to Okinawa. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.