[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 397 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 397
Recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 29, 2021
Mr. Warner (for himself, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Blunt) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 25th Anniversary of the National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency.
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 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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