Since 1946, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has helped to build a more peaceful and secure world.
This goal has never been more important than it is today, amidst very real and persistent threats Canada faces as a country and as a member of a global community. During the Second World War, two Canadian wartime cryptologic offices, the military’s Joint Discrimination Unit (JDU) and the civilian Examination Unit (XU), worked tirelessly to provide the Allies with critical signals intelligence that helped turn the tide of the war. One of our greatest success stories involved the Battle of the Atlantic, where Canadian intelligence reports played a key role in helping keep Allied convoys running and the supply lines to Europe open.
At the end of the war, 179 members of the JDU and XU hung up their uniforms, put on civilian clothes and walked through the doors of the Communications Branch of the National Research Council (CBNRC, later renamed CSE), Canada’s peacetime cryptologic agency. This dedicated team of “code-makers” and “code-breakers” responded to threats and challenges as they evolved throughout the years.
CSE has changed over the years, but our mission has not. From the earliest days of the Cold War to Canada’s cyber defence today, CSE works around the clock to keep pace with global threats, tactics and trends. For 75 years, alongside our military partners, our talented team of professionals has worked quietly detecting, assessing, and responding to national security challenges. We do this for you, for Canadian soldiers in the field, for Canada and for the world. We invite you to join in the celebration of our 75th anniversary as we share our stories. We are proud to share our history - and our future - with all Canadians.
CSE 75 – Vignettes
As CSE celebrates 75 years, we want to share some of our stories with you, about our past, our people, and where the future might take us. Some of these stories may be familiar, but with a new twist or insight, while others are being shared outside our organization for the very first time.
We invite you to join us in learning more about our history and in celebrating our people and their accomplishments.
Check our CSE 75 - Vignettes page and our Twitter account for weekly updates.
