NGA Director Discusses New Agency Charter

Director Vice Admiral Robert Murrett delivered an address at the GEOINT symposium and discussed the new charter of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) which was signed in July 2009 by the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. The charter establishes a dual role for the NGA as the geospatial intelligence functional manager for the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. Elements of the charter that have been completely incorporated to date include the Central Imagery Office, the Defense Dissemination Program Office, the National Photographic Interpretation Center and the Defense Mapping Agency. One element that has been a point of controversy that is not as yet incorporated into the charter is the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), responsible for the nation’s spy satellites, whose existence is being questioned and whose charter is under review. Some of the controversy involves the plan for next generation of electro-optical satellites to support the intelligence community and what the role of the NRO should be, if any, according to an article in the Online Defense and Acquisition Journal.