[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6787-S6788]
SENATE RESOLUTION 397--RECOGNIZING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL
GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Blunt) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 397
Whereas, in an effort to improve the imagery intelligence,
mapping, and geodesy capabilities of the United States, the
National Imagery and Mapping Agency, the predecessor of the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (in this preamble
referred to as the ``NGA''), was founded on October 1, 1996,
with the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 1997;
Whereas the NGA derives from legacy agencies, including the
Defense Mapping Agency, the Central Imagery Office, the
Defense Dissemination Program Office, the National
Photographic Interpretation Center, and parts of the Defense
Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and
the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, which played
vital roles in the defense of the United States in conflicts
dating back to World War II and modernized the discipline of
geospatial intelligence (in this preamble referred to as
``GEOINT'') through imagery analysis and mapping production;
Whereas, with military and civilian employees serving at
NGA headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, the NGA West
Campus in St. Louis, Missouri, and additional locations
throughout the United States, and personnel deployed
worldwide, totaling more than 200 locations in more than 25
countries, NGA produces timely and relevant mapping,
charting, geomatics, and intelligence products to
warfighters, first responders, civil authorities,
policymakers, and the maritime and aviation communities;
Whereas, throughout its 25-year history, the NGA has
provided world-class GEOINT support to policymakers and
military commanders of the United States, in times of peace
and conflict, during significant national security,
humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief efforts,
including--
(1) the operation that resulted in the killing of former al
Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden;
(2) operational GEOINT support in the space warfighting
domain;
(3) safety of navigation support for mariners and pilots;
(4) support to search and rescue, response, and recovery
efforts for hurricanes, cyclones, wildfires, and other
humanitarian disasters domestically and internationally;
(5) countering drug trafficking and other illicit
activities by transnational criminal organizations; and
(6) continued mission support to forward-deployed members
of the Armed Forces across the globe;
Whereas, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
the men and women of the NGA have worked diligently to deter,
detect, and prevent acts of terror by providing GEOINT
support to United States and coalition forces in support of
global counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations;
Whereas the NGA continues to support national security
requirements against the strategic competitors and potential
adversaries of the United States, using new intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance sensors;
Whereas the topographic mission of the NGA traces its
lineage to the year 1777 with the Office of the Geography in
the Continental Army;
Whereas NGA continues to provide integrated geographic
data, products, and services in support of the national
security objectives of the United States Government by--
(1) maintaining more than 51,000 topographic maps in
support of global combat operations, humanitarian assistance,
disaster relief, and military training;
(2) serving as the official geographic names steward for
the United States Government, providing customers with more
than 13,000,000 names;
(3) assisting in the understanding and resolution of
sovereignty issues by providing international land and
maritime boundaries in coordination with the Department of
State;
(4) generating human geography data that informs a global
understanding of the human environment; and
(5) producing unclassified geospatial information in
support of national and partner efforts in the Arctic and to
enable scientific research in the Arctic region;
Whereas the NGA is the primary organization responsible for
developing, maintaining, and enhancing the World Geodetic
System 84 (including the Terrestrial Reference Frame, Earth
Gravity Model, and World Magnetic Model), the foundation of
all positioning, navigation, and timing systems supporting
the Department of Defense, including the Global Positioning
System;
Whereas the NGA spearheaded an international project with
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to acquire
radar data to create the first near-global, homogeneous set
of land elevation data;
Whereas, during an 11-day mission in February 2000, the
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission flew aboard the space
shuttle Endeavour and collected radar data on more
[[Page S6788]]
than 80 percent of the land surface of the Earth at 30-meter
resolution;
Whereas the NGA carries on the proud legacy of this project
with the evolution to full 3-dimensional-elevation modeling;
Whereas the Maritime Safety Office of the NGA, which traces
its lineage to the year 1830, collects and analyzes data for
and publishes the Notices to Mariners to provide government,
civilian, and international mariners with vital, up-to-date
maritime safety information that helps ensure safe navigation
all over the world;
Whereas the NGA also supports military and commercial
vessels worldwide with navigational products and warning
messages;
Whereas, in addition to legacy paper charts, NGA provides
worldwide digital nautical charts that ensure safety of
navigation to a broad base of users;
Whereas the Aeronautical Navigation Office of the NGA,
which traces its lineage to the year 1943, produces timely,
relevant, and accurate aeronautical GEOINT to support more
than 13,000 Department of Defense airplanes and their crew
members, allowing them to safely navigate around the world
every day;
Whereas the NGA has converted from paper maps to
downloadable digital maps and content, reducing the gear that
pilots need to carry while also ensuring that the Department
of Defense meets global airspace mandates for performance-
based navigation;
Whereas the NGA continues to innovate, pursuing new methods
of intelligence collection and analysis to inform,
complement, and add to the support of warfighter and
policymaker requirements by--
(1) embracing innovative cost-sharing and risk-sharing
constructs with the commercial electro-optical satellite
industry;
(2) engaging commercial technology providers, including
small satellite companies and geospatial data analytics
companies, that hold the promise of rapid technological
innovation and potential significant future cost savings to
the taxpayers of the United States;
(3) leveraging emerging technologies, such as artificial
intelligence, automation, and augmentation to enable advanced
computational and intelligence capabilities;
(4) discovering, assessing, and integrating new commercial
geospatial data types and services that bring value to
solving the complex intelligence problems of the United
States and supporting disadvantaged and underserved users
operating in austere environments; and
(5) investing in breakthrough technologies and capabilities
that will strengthen strategic warning, mission forecasting,
and military intelligence and improve the means of navigation
for NGA customers;
Whereas the NGA maintains United States GEOINT supremacy
and hold the adversaries of the United States at bay by
giving primacy to the core missions of the United States,
serves as the world's premier GEOINT force, and pursues a
whole-of-enterprise approach focused on--
(1) recruiting and training the world-class workforce of
the NGA to lead the GEOINT community;
(2) collaborating with both foreign and domestic partners
on co-production of GEOINT;
(3) leading the GEOINT community through the implementation
of governance, standards, and enterprise services; and
(4) supporting the national security interests of the
United States by delivering to NGA customers persistent,
accurate, secure, and timely GEOINT data, products, and
services; and
Whereas, throughout the years, the mission and commitment
of the NGA has remained the same: to show the way by--
(1) delivering trusted GEOINT for decision advantage;
(2) protecting the United States by reducing strategic
surprises; and
(3) elevating the understanding of the United States of the
world and space to anticipate potential threats: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates the women and men of the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on the occasion of the 25th
anniversary of the Agency;
(2) honors the professional women and men, past and
present, of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for
their selfless service and dedication to the United States;
and
(3) expresses gratitude to all the women and men of the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for their past and
continued efforts to provide timely and accurate geospatial-
intelligence support to deliver overwhelming advantage to
warfighters, defense planners, and defense and national
security policymakers in the defense and security of the
United States.
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