Analysts and field operatives from the CIA and the National Security Agency (NSA) have stepped up offensive operations against terrorists around the world using sophisticated text and audio search and analysis technologies.

"We've increased the number of teams around the world collecting information and disrupting [terrorist] activities," acknowledged Philip Lago, executive secretary of the CIA. "The tempo of that activity has increased dramatically."

Those operations have also increased the volume of raw technical intelligence—phone, radio and video recordings as well as text—flowing into the headquarters of the CIA and NSA in Langley, Va., and Fort Meade, Md., respectively. The result: a dramatic upswing in demand for technology to help ensure that analysts don't miss critical communications or code words that could be used to launch an attack.

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