WATCHFUL AND WISE

Former NSA Inspector General Robert “Rob” Storch noticed it immediately when he entered his NSA office for the first time in early 2018:  there were two wall displays, one for the NSA and the other for the OIG, both of which were virtually identical.  Mr. Storch believed the OIG needed its own distinct symbol to emphasize its independence from the Agency. 

A few months later, the OIG’s new logo featured the image of an owl – associated for centuries with watchfulness and wisdom, key traits for an OIG – as well as the office’s core values: oversight, integrity, independence, and transparency. The owl holds in its talons a lightning key, representing the Agency’s combined signals intelligence and cybersecurity missions. 

“Symbols matter. They convey meaning,” Mr. Storch said. And as the Agency’s first Presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed Inspector General, he wanted to clearly communicate the OIG’s role in advancing the Agency’s mission through independent oversight.