[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 148 (Thursday, September 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6279-S6280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 607--RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE 
                     AGENCY ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. Warner, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Burr, and 
Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Armed Services:

                              S. Res. 607

       Whereas, in an effort to improve the imagery intelligence, 
     mapping, and geodesy capabilities of the United States, the 
     National Imagery and Mapping Agency (in this preamble 
     referred to as ``NIMA''), the predecessor of the National 
     Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (in this preamble referred to 
     as the ``NGA''), was founded on October 1, 1996, as a result 
     of President William Jefferson Clinton signing into law the 
     National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 
     (Public Law 104-201; 110 Stat. 2422), which authorized the 
     establishment of NIMA;
       Whereas the NGA derives from legacy agencies, including the 
     Defense Mapping Agency, the National Photographic 
     Interpretation Center, the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance 
     Office, the Central Imagery Office, and the Defense 
     Dissemination Program Office, that played vital roles in the 
     defense of the United States in conflicts dating back to 
     World War II and contributed to the discipline of geospatial 
     intelligence (in this preamble referred to as ``GEOINT'') 
     through imagery and mapping production;
       Whereas the NGA has, throughout its 20-year history, 
     provided GEOINT support to United States policy makers and 
     military commanders in both war and peacetime during 
     significant national security and natural disaster events, 
     including--
       (1) the operations in the Balkans;
       (2) the response to Hurricane Katrina;
       (3) the operation that resulted in the killing of former al 
     Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden;
       (4) operations against state-sponsored terrorist 
     organizations;
       (5) the humanitarian assistance responses to earthquakes in 
     Haiti and Japan; and
       (6) the continued critical mission support to members of 
     the Armed Forces in the Middle East;
       Whereas, with military and civilian employees serving at 
     the NGA headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, the NGA West 
     Campus in St. Louis, Missouri, and additional locations 
     throughout the United States, and with personnel deployed 
     worldwide in more than 200 locations in 17 countries, the NGA 
     produces timely mapping, charting, geodesy, and intelligence 
     products to warfighters, first responders, civil authorities, 
     policy makers, and the maritime and aviation communities;
       Whereas the NGA motto describes the many missions that were 
     combined 20 years ago upon the creation of the NGA, ``Know 
     the Earth, show the way, and understand the world'';
       Whereas the NGA is the primary organization responsible for 
     developing, maintaining, and enhancing the World Geodetic 
     System 84 reference frame, the foundation for all of the 
     Positioning, Navigation, and Timing systems of the Department 
     of Defense, including the

[[Page S6280]]

     Global Positioning System (commonly known as ``GPS'');
       Whereas the Maritime Safety Office of the NGA, which traces 
     its lineage to 1869, collects, analyzes, and writes the 
     Notices to Mariners that keep government, civilian, and 
     international mariners informed about vital safety and 
     navigational issues;
       Whereas the NGA also supports commercial vessels worldwide 
     with navigational products and warning messages;
       Whereas, in addition to updating worldwide digital nautical 
     charts that ensure safety of navigation to a broad base of 
     users, the NGA has expanded to provide safety of navigation 
     information to the aeronautical community;
       Whereas, in recent years, the NGA has increased its--
       (1) worldwide, industry-leading aeronautical safety library 
     to more than 10,000 flight procedures made available to the 
     Department of Defense; and
       (2) vertical obstructions database from 4,000,000 features 
     to more than 24,000,000 features;
       Whereas the NGA has converted from paper maps to 
     downloadable digital maps, reducing the amount of gear that 
     pilots need to carry while ensuring that those pilots always 
     have the latest information;
       Whereas the NGA continues to be a constant source of 
     innovation, aiding the efforts of the Department of Defense 
     in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations by using 
     new--
       (1) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sensors 
     and technologies; and
       (2) analytic methods, including full-motion video, 
     hyperspectral imagery, overhead persistent infrared, light 
     detection and ranging, and activity-based intelligence;
       Whereas the NGA continues to support warfighters and 
     intelligence operators with dedicated efforts in global 
     counterterrorism, counterproliferation, mission readiness, 
     safety of navigation, and future weapons development;
       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 terrorism by providing GEOINT 
     support to United States and coalition forces in support of 
     the Global War on Terror, including Operation Enduring 
     Freedom in Afghanistan, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of 
     Africa, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, and Operation 
     Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria;
       Whereas the NGA is commendably pursuing new methods of 
     intelligence collection and analysis to inform, complement, 
     and add to the NGA's support of warfighter requirements by--
       (1) embracing innovative cost-sharing and risk-sharing 
     constructs with the commercial electro-optical satellite 
     industry; and
       (2) looking to emerging commercial technology providers, 
     including small satellite companies, that hold the promise of 
     rapid technological innovation and potentially significant 
     future cost savings to the taxpayers of the United States; 
     and
       Whereas the NGA has been awarded 3 Joint Meritorious Unit 
     Awards reflecting the distinctive accomplishments of the 
     personnel assigned to the NGA: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the men and women of the National 
     Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on the occasion of the 20th 
     anniversary of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;
       (2) honors the professional men and women, 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 men and women of the 
     National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for their past and 
     continued efforts to provide timely, relevant, and accurate 
     geospatial intelligence support to deliver overwhelming 
     advantages to warfighters, defense planners, and national 
     security policymakers in the defense and security of the 
     United States.

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