The Dagger Complex as 180°-Panorama
Main gate
Shouldersleeve 66 MI Bde

The Dagger Complex is a US military base in Darmstadt (Germany), close to Griesheim and located at the Eberstädter Weg, south of the August-Euler-Airfield.

The complex is under US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) command on behalf of the US National Security Agency (NSA) and is officially known as Subunit 1 operated by USMC G Company.[1] After a large basement expansion at the complex in 2002 it hosted an important SIGINT processing, analysis and reporting center.[2]

As the entire SIGINT unit relocated to the Lucius D.Clay Barracks at Wiesbaden in 2016 as part of the new Information Processing Center (IPC) which is part of the US Consolidated Intelligence Center (CIC), which was brought into operation in the 2010s,[3][4] the status of the Dagger complex has been changed into a military datacenter. All processing, analysis and reporting activities now take place in Wiesbaden.

History

In 1999 about 50 INSCOM-units were moved from Bad Aibling Station to other locations. Together with INSCOM, then 66th Military Intelligence Group moved to Darmstadt.[5]

This unit started as 66th CIC Detachment based in Stuttgart at its reactivation in 1951. In 1952 redesignated 66th CIC Group and in 1977 after an armywide intel reorganisation assigned to INSCOM. In 1986 relocated to Augsburg being redesignated 66th Military Intelligence Brigade. In 1995 temporarily redesignated 66th MI Group. Relocated again to Dagger compound Darmstadt as of 1998. Definitely 66th MI Group in 2002 until its final redesignation 66th MI Brigade and its staffing relocation to Wiesbaden Army Airfield in 2008.

Until 2015 the Dagger complex based the European Cryptologic Center (ECC) structured as F2 which had been operated by mixed operational crews consisting of specialized personnel from the NSA, the US Army 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, the USAF 693rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group and the USMC Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion; all under the command of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, which was then awaiting their relocation to Wiesbaden. These specialists used to interpret and analyse all intercepted metadata obtained by

Above mentioned facilities have been removed respectively by the end of 2009 and 2013.

In 2015, the Peng Collective operated an airborne leaflet strike over the facility as part of their Intelexit program, to call the employees to quit their job in case of ethical or psychological distress.[7] Shortly after the drop of the leaflets, the association's website was blocked on computers within the complex.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Christian Fuchs; John Goetz; Frederik Obermaier; Bastian Obermayer & Tanjev Schultz. "Frankfurt: An American Military-Intel Metropolis". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  2. ^ Waid, Matthew (22 July 2013). "The European Cryptologic Center at Darmstadt, Germany". Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  3. ^ Media Day: Transformation, G-A partnerships focus of forum, installation tour Herald Union Archived 24 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Sitzt NSA doch im Consolidated Intelligence Center in Wiesbaden?". 23 July 2020.
  5. ^ Charlie Coon (7 October 2003). "66th MIG assets to begin moving to Darmstadt". The Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Operation "Icebox" – Die Kugeln sind da!" [Operation Icebox - The bullets are here!] (PDF). Griesheimer Gazette. 27 March 2004. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013.((cite news)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ McLaughlin, Jenna (5 October 2015). "Drone Flies Over NSA Complex in Germany, Dropping Leaflets". The Intercept.
  8. ^ "Protestaktion bei Darmstadt: Drohne wirft Flugblätter über NSA-Komplex ab" [Drone Drops Leaflets Over NSA Complex]. Spiegel Online (in German). 5 October 2015.
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