Outrage over the U.S. National Security Agency's widespread collection of telephone and Internet data from American allies could lead to a changed landscape for the spy agency.
美国国安局广泛收集美国盟友的电话和因特网数据所引发的不满，可能导致美国情报部门的大变动，下任国安局长可能得面临国会更大程度的审查。
Allegations the National Security Agency has been eavesdropping on phone and internet communications of world leaders have angered U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere.
美国国安局被指控窃听他国元首的电话和因特网通信，引起美国的欧洲与其他地区盟友的愤怒。
U.S.-based Internet companies Yahoo and Google were upset to learn the NSA has been secretly tapping their data, searching private information about hundreds of millions of people.
总部设在美国的因特网公司雅虎与谷歌在知道国安局一直秘密监听数据，并且搜寻亿万民众的私人资讯之后，非常生气。
The flood of revelations about NSA bulk data collections sets the stage for Congress to impose new restrictions on the super secret agency's activities.
越来越多国安局批量采集数据的做法被披露，让国会因此有理由采取新的措施，限制情报机构的活动。
NSA Director, Army General Keith Alexander, is retiring early next year, and his successor will need to restore confidence in his agency, according to Paul Tiao, a former adviser to the FBI director and now a partner at the Hunton and Williams law firm.
前联邦调查局局长顾问、目前任职亨顿和威廉姆斯律师事务所的昭保罗说，美国国安局长--陆军上将基思·亚历山大明年初计划退休，他的继任人选必须设法恢复外界对情报部门的信心。
"So it is going to be important for the NSA director to be able to manage and build relationships of trust, both with foreign leaders and his counterparts in signals-intelligence agencies overseas, but also with industry, with industry leaders," he said.
他说：“国安局长必须管理、重新建立关系，获取他国领袖、外国情报对等单位、以及情报界的信任。”
Alexander was making retirement plans before former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed classified agency documents exposing the surveillance programs.
在前国安局合同工斯诺登泄露机密文件，让监控项目曝光之前，亚历山大就有了退休的计划。
But how will the spymaster's tenure be remembered?
不过，外界将如何看待这位情报首长的任内作为？
A senior fellow at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, James Andrew Lewis, says Alexander is widely respected for running NSA, while establishing and leading the spy agency's military counterpart, Cyber Command.
华盛顿智库“战略及国际研究中心”资深研究员詹姆斯·安德鲁·刘易斯说，亚历山大在任职国安局局长期间，组建、并且带领了网络战司令部，普遍受到尊敬。网络战司令部是国安局的军事对等单位。
"I have asked people, you know, after the Snowden thing, what is likely to happen to Alexander, and the answer you get from senior administration officials and from Republicans is that he is irreplaceable," he said.
“在斯诺登事件发生之后，我问过其他人，亚历山大可能会受到什么影响？我从高级行政官员和共和党人那里所听到的答案是，亚历山大是无人可以取代的。”
Former NSA official and whistleblower William Binney says the NSA spying violates the U.S. Constitution, and he disputes Alexander's claim that massive domestic data collection is needed to prevent acts of terrorism.
前国安局官员、同时也是举报人的威廉·宾尼说，国安局的监控行为违反美国宪法，他不赞同亚历山大所谓大规模的国内资讯采集，对于防止恐怖主义行为至关重要。
Binney does not, however, expect the next NSA leader to abandon phone and Internet spying.
宾尼并不预期下一任国安局长会放弃电话与因特网的监控做法。
"I do not believe that anything is going to change unless they change the policy and what they are doing at NSA," he said.
“我并不相信目前的做法会有任何改变。除非政策和国安局目前的措施发生改变。”
"That is their mission," said Tiao, explaining that he also expects the surveillance to continue. "To collect communications on terrorists, on foreign intelligence actors, on cyberthreat actors."
昭保罗也预期目前的监控做法会持续下去。“这是他们的使命。收集恐怖分子、外国情报分子、以及威胁网络安全者的通信往来。”
Some people are calling for separate leaders for NSA and Cyber Command, saying Alexander wields too much power by holding both jobs.
一些人呼吁国安局和网络战司令部应该由不同的人领导。他们认为亚历山大主管两个单位，权力太大。
But Lewis says Alexander has performed responsibly.
但是詹姆斯·安德鲁·刘易斯说，亚历山大展现负责任的领导作风。
"It is very tightly controlled," he said. "He is part of the chain of command. There have not been any problems."
“这个系统是受到严格控制的，他是这个指挥链的一部分。之前并没有发生问题。”
Either way, President Barack Obama's choice for the next leader or leaders of NSA and Cyber Command will need to work closely with Congress and America's allies.
不管是哪种方式，美国总统奥巴马所选择的下一任国安局长和网络战司令部司令，都必须和国会与美国的盟友，密切合作。 |
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