[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 397 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






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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