Pressemitteilung

Square in Berlin to be named after NSA Director Keith Alexander

For services in IT security awareness

Berlin, April 1, 2014 - Due to his outstanding services in raising public awareness of IT security, a special honor is granted to the outgoing director of the US National Security Agency (NSA), General Keith Alexander: a central square in the German capital Berlin will be named after him.

From now on the spacious area which extends from a Television Tower to an electronic store in Berlin-Mitte bears the name Keith-Alexander-Platz or briefly Alexanderplatz.

Keith Brian Alexander, born in Syracuse, New York on December 2, 1951, is a general in the United States Army. Since August 1, 2005 he has served as Director of the NSA. Additionally, he assumed the position of Commander of the United States Cyber Command in 2010.

General Alexander gained media recognition in June 2013 on the heels of revelations of surveillance programs such as PRISM and XKeyscore, which had been initiated by the NSA under his command. The existence of these programs was revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in the British daily newspaper "The Guardian."

Alexander recently announced his retirement from the NSA. US President Obama appointed Vice Admiral Michael Rogers as his successor.

The naming of the Alexanderplatz turns out to be a financially advantageous solution for the cost-sensitive city of Berlin. Since the relevant signage, including the related city train and subway stations, already exists, only the phonetic pronunciation will change.