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| NGA analysts provide vital services to troops on the ground |
The National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a little known or talked about U.S.
intelligence community member, headquartered in Fort Belvoir North in
Springfield, VA. It conducts cartography, map making and satellite imagery
analysis, providing timely Geospatial Intelligence to decision-makers and
military leaders on imminent threats in hot spots around the world.
It conducts “GEOINT”, GEOspatial
INTelligence, a discipline that analyzes imagery and geospatial information,
usually from spy satellites. Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth became the eighth
Director of the NGA in June 2022, and he works under the authorities of the
Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence.
Geospatial intelligence offers a respectable
career with plenty of opportunities for advancement. Salaries begin at a median
range of $58,000 for geospatial analysts, and there are numerous paths for
advancement into senior analyst or management positions- the median salary for
a senior intelligence analyst with a GEOINT skillset is $96,000.
It is a dynamic field to enter
with opportunities to pursue in government, military, and humanitarian
organizations. DHS and the U.S. military rely heavily on geospatial
intelligence to protect civilians and
better understand the complex issues facing our country, from military threats
to natural disasters.
For example, humanitarian organizations
rely on GEOINT analysts to assess damage from natural or man-made disasters to
help determine how much aid is needed for populations facing crisis. Just
recently, the NGA supplied geospatial intelligence support to FEMA in its search
and rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
I was impressed how, in 2011, it found Osama
bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan. Not only did it take detailed photographs of
the compound, but it even retrieved and analyzed earlier satellite imagery that
showed that it was under construction. GEOINT analysts viewed bin Laden’s
hideout before the roof was put on, so they could draw a diagram of the doorways,
staircases, and bedrooms inside the house. Navy Seal Team 6, no doubt, thanked
them immensely, for they could rehearse and practice before their actual raid
that killed the al-Qaida leader.
In my Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series,
I often embed NGA activities into the plot. Here’s a snippet from the MISSION OF VENGEANCE spy thriller.
Snippet: The IMINT, image intelligence, satellite
hovered 310 miles above Yury Bocharov’s estate, snapping high-resolution, color
photos of every square foot of the mansion, outer buildings, and grounds.
The images were relayed to General
Morrison’s computer at the CIA safehouse in Key West. The CIA owned eight safe
houses in Key West and one of them housed NGA satellite image interpreters who
masqueraded as drywallers. A sign out front of their unassuming home read “Key
West Drywallers.”
Inside the fake front company, two NGA men
and a woman watched computer screens as the satellite continued mapping the
estate. Two older men sat on a patio in the back of the mansion. They directed the
satellite to zero in on their faces and snap photos of each. With one-foot
optical resolution imaging capabilities, each face filled an entire computer
screen. The facial photos were enhanced, then relayed to Morrison’s computer.
General Morrison sent them at once to Corey’s computer inside the Sosua safe house.
End of Snippet
Lastly, enjoy this video about the NGA: 5
Interesting Facts About the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community. He authors the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thrillers: MISSION OF VENGEANCE and THE SHADOW WAR.
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