EnhancedView Could Take $50 Million Hit - Aviation Week

Aviation Week is reporting that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) may be forced to renegotiate the EnhanceView contract with GeoEye and DigitalGlobe due to an expected $50 Million cut to the agency's 2012 fiscal year budget with the prospect of more cuts in fiscal 2013. The original EnhancedView contract was $7.3 billion over 10 years and was signed in 2010. The contract was roughly split between the two commercial satellite providers. According to a source cited by Aviation Week:

“You’re going to have to find a way to probably restructure the current service-level agreements with both companies if they’re going to take $50 million out,” says one geospatial-intelligence industry official familiar with EnhancedView. “Any reduction in the budget on the service-level agreement means you’re changing the scope of the contract and you have to renegotiate.”

Last week we reported that NGA was going to procure less imagery in 2013 but that Pentagon investments in new spacecraft would continue.

NGA to Procure Less Imagery but More Capacity, FBI RFI for LBS Intelligence

The U.S. Defense Department intends to reduce planned purchases of commercial satellite imagery in 2013 as part of a broader initiative aimed at reducing U.S. military expenditures by $259 billion over the next five years, according to a Pentagon planning document released Jan. 26.

However, the document says the Pentagon will continue to increase its commercial satellite imaging capacity, an indication that planned government-backed investments in new spacecraft will go forward. Commercial imagery was listed among several programs targeted for substantial reductions, the document said, specifying that purchases for imaging capacity that exceeds requirements will be affected.

I read that as NGA will buy less imagery, but will continue to fund EnhancedView. The info comes from a document previewing the 2013 defence budget requests shared in a press release on Jan 26.

- Space News

The FBI is looking for a "geospatial alert and analysis mapping application" that will allow its Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) to "quickly vet, identify and geo-locate breaking events, incidents and emerging threats," according to the RFI.

- Information Technology

Army Looking to Build NGA Data Center

The US Army has put out feelers for companies that may want (and be able) to build a data center for the Department of Defense’s agency that provides geospatial intelligence support to the military.

The Army has issued a “sources sought” notice for a potentially US$10m-plus project to convert a 30,000 sq ft room in the National Geospacial-Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) campus in Springfield, Virginia, into a Tier 2 data center, according to official government documents.

- Data Center Dynamics

NGA Offers Buyouts to 150 Staffers

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is offering buyouts to 150 employees in fiscal 2012, with bonuses worth up to $25,000. The offer is good until some time in February.

- Gov Exec

DoD Issues “Instructions” on GEOINT

Keith Masback (@geointer), president of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF), retweeted a U.S. Department of Defense document (PDF) issued today that "establishes policies, assigns responsibilities, and provides guidance for GEOINT operations within the DoD in accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5143.01." Here are a few snippents of relevance from this document:

• POLICY: It is DoD policy that GEOINT operations and activities shall be treated as high priority efforts and conducted in a unified and synchronized manner, due to the vital role GEOINT plays in the successful conduct of military operations and activities, in executing the mission of the DoD, and in supporting national security.
• GEOINT conducted under the authority of the Secretary of Defense shall comply with the [National System for GEOINT] NSG strategic guidance, policies, and procedures issued by the Director, NGA, acting concurrently as the DoD GEOINT Manager and as the GEOINT Functional Manager.
• The Director, NGA shall:
  • 
    Prioritize and implement activities necessary for timely, relevant, and accurate GEOINT;
  •  Lead the evaluation of all available GEOINT sources, including foreign, to identify the current and future technical, analytic, and mission value.
•  Director National Reconnaissance Office (NRO):
  • 
    Coordinate with the Director, NGA, to develop and provide integrated GEOINT and DoD human intelligence, counterintelligence, and measurement and signature intelligence activities, as needed.
  • Coordinate with the Combatant Commands to synchronize DoD intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance resources with other collection activities, and monitor execution of GEOINT collection operations

This is only a sampling of what is contained in the document and if you are interested you should read it in its entirety. I'm not certain why this set of "instructions" (not a directive?) was issued at this time or whether the information changes what was in place previously. Was there confusion over responsiblities and accountablity? However, it does make clear that the director of the NGA, currently Ms. Letitia Long, sits as the key figure for all geospatial intelligence for the DoD. To me, however, this did not seem to be in doubt before.