The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) recently signed an historic document that spells out collaborative efforts the agencies have undertaken. The document provides and overview of more than thirty activities initiated by the two agencies to link their sources, data holdings, information infrastructure, and exploitation techniques.
Jointly signed by NGA Director retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr. and NSA Director USAF Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the document will be included in the Congressional Budget Justification Books both agencies will submit to Congress in February.
This classified document continues the close collaboration that Clapper and Hayden discussed at the October GEOINT 2004 Symposium in New Orleans and highlights the agencies' joint accomplishments.
Horizontal integration -- working together from start to finish, using NGA's "eyes" and NSA's "ears" -- makes it possible to solve intelligence challenges that cannot be resolved through separate application of normal GEOINT or SIGINT methods.
NGA's mission is to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of our national security. Geospatial intelligence is the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the Earth. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., NGA has major facilities in the Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and St. Louis, Mo., areas with NGA support teams worldwide.
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is America's cryptologic organization. It coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect U.S. information systems and produce foreign signals intelligence information for policymakers and warfighters.
Both NGA and NSA are Department of Defense combat support agencies and members of the National Intelligence Community.