Star Trek NSA Command Center Not Commissioned By Keith Alexander

The Star Trek NSA command center has been receiving plenty of attention over the last few days. Photos of the Intelligence and Security Command center recently surfaced and we learned that the program was formerly run by current NSA director General Keith Alexander.

The facility located in Fort Belvoir, Virginia was reportedly constructed by a Hollywood set designer and was meant to mimic the deck of the USS Enterprise.

Originally sources claimed that Keith Alexander commissioned the Star Trek command center when he joined the NSA. However, a source at The Washington Post says the facility was constructed in 1998. Alexander took over the post in 2001.

The room is definitely something to behold with its doors that make “whoosing” sounds as they open and close. The center also features the “Captain Kirk” chair which employees often fight for the chance to sit in. The chair is made out of stainless steel and is quite the sight to behold.

Retired Army officer Joel Harding says the room features eight wide screen and a graphics processor that was designed with Disney’s help.

According to Harding the room has nothing to do with Keith Alexander outside of her current post:

“He had nothing to do with creating the center.”

When members of Congress and other politicians stop by the facility they reportedly ask to sit in the Captain Kirk chair and then marvel at the Star Trek feel of the NSA-built room.

While the Star Trek NSA room may not have been commissioned by Alexander sources close to his work say he fits the Captain Kirk approach to battle. A new Foreign Policy article describes Alexander as having an “all-out, barely-legal drive to build the ultimate spy machine.” The article refers to him as a “cowboy” who is willing to play fast and loose with legal limits while subverting his superiors to get the job done. That sure sounds like Captain Kirk.

The facility is known by workers as the “Information Dominance Center” and perhaps that should really be the story instead of who built it.

We probably wouldn’t have learned about the facility if The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald had not discovered images of the NSA Star Trek room on the Web site of DBI Architects.

The entire NSA location spans 10,740 square feet and was financed with taxpayer dollars. Here’s a quick tour of the facility:

In the meantime Jean Luc Picard and Captain Kirk would likely not approve of the NSA’s decision to create a Star Trek inspired spy facility.