The NSA's legitimate targets are those bearing arms against the United States, and foreign intelligence more broadly. If you were to export a single chip to Iran, you would be the legitimate target of the FBI, which is an internal law enforcement agency, and not a military intelligence agency.
Internal law enforcement bodies are bound by laws and procedures, yet while rules of warfare exist, they are what one might term fairly permissive. Even more briefly, "War is Hell," and we do not bring Hell home. It is a universally applicable principle that the use of any military force against its own people is a treasonous offense; almost a tautology. More than this, it is sheer stupidity. Why should we seek to use the engines of war against the shores that bore them?
No one will deny the legitimate use of military intelligence-gathering. May we all be eternally spared the brutality of conflict, but if it must be, let it be conducted with wisdom and swift sure purpose. I'm not particularly bothered by the US military investigating bellicose nations and/or nationals, but I'd prefer to avoid military operations in allied territory to whatever degree possible -- we should pretend to some degree of civilization. Using military forces against civilians is generally considered criminal, and using them against citizens -- why don't you come up with some descriptive adjectives?
Internal law enforcement bodies are bound by laws and procedures, yet while rules of warfare exist, they are what one might term fairly permissive. Even more briefly, "War is Hell," and we do not bring Hell home. It is a universally applicable principle that the use of any military force against its own people is a treasonous offense; almost a tautology. More than this, it is sheer stupidity. Why should we seek to use the engines of war against the shores that bore them?
No one will deny the legitimate use of military intelligence-gathering. May we all be eternally spared the brutality of conflict, but if it must be, let it be conducted with wisdom and swift sure purpose. I'm not particularly bothered by the US military investigating bellicose nations and/or nationals, but I'd prefer to avoid military operations in allied territory to whatever degree possible -- we should pretend to some degree of civilization. Using military forces against civilians is generally considered criminal, and using them against citizens -- why don't you come up with some descriptive adjectives?