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GCHQ
Government Communications Headquarters

GCHQ is one of Britain's three major Intelligence Agencies. GCHQ works in partnership with the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) to protect UK national security interests. GCHQ is responsible for providing Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance. Its main customers are the UK Government and the British Armed Forces.

GCHQ logo since 2018

GCHQ started life during World War I as the Government Code & Cypher School {GC&CS). During WWII they established a major codebreaking operation at Bletchley Park (BP), which today is a museum. Immediately after the war, in 1946, it was renamed GCHQ and relocated to Eastcote. In 1951, GCHQ moved to a new premises Cheltenham, where the organization is still located today.

GCHQ devices on this website
High-end portable telephone encryptor
The secret SAVILLE encryption algorithm
Headquarters
The image on the right shows the current GCHQ headquearters in Cheltenham (UK) at the point where the building was nearly finished in 2003. The building is nicknamed 'the Doughnut'.   

Locations
GCHQ is based at the following locations"

  • Cheltenham
    Headquarters
  • Scarborough
    Signals intelligence site
  • Bude
    Telecommunications data collection site
  • Manchester
    High-tech offices
  • London
    National Cyber Security Cebtre (NCSC) 1
  1. In the past, GCHQ also used (secret) offices on Palmer Street, where they resided for 66 years [5].

Logos

  
  
2004
  
2018


 

Enigma reunion 2009

Although GCHQ is a secret - and therefore rather closed- organisation, they present themselves to the general public every now and then, and provide information about their work, their responsibilities and their history. GCHQ was, for example, one of the major sponsors of the Enigma Reunion 2009 at Bletchley Park, where they exhibited a number of rare cipher machines and methods.

 More about the Enigma Reunion 2009

  

GCHQ stand at Enigma Reunion 2009. Copyright Frederic Andre [2].
People at the GCHQ stand at the Enigma Reunion 2009. Copyright Kevin Coleman [3].
People at the GCHQ stand at the Enigma Reunion 2009. Copyright Kevin Coleman [3].
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GCHQ stand at Enigma Reunion 2009. Copyright Frederic Andre [2].
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People at the GCHQ stand at the Enigma Reunion 2009. Copyright Kevin Coleman [3].
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People at the GCHQ stand at the Enigma Reunion 2009. Copyright Kevin Coleman [3].

References
  1. GCHQ website
    Retrieved September 2009.

  2. Frederic Andre, Enigma Reunion 2009, Bletchley Park
    Website. 5-6 September 2009.

  3. Kevin Coleman, Photographs of Enigma Reunion 2009
    Personal correspondence. November 2009.

  4. GCHQ, New GCHQ logo
    30 April 2018.

  5. GCHQ Reveals Secret London Site
    GCHQ website, 5 April 2019.
Further information
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