The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has launched a new 24/7 operations center to provide geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) to policymakers and military forces, the agency announced on Jan. 24.
“Today we unite both our watches with a shared mission under one name, the National GEOINT Operations Center – the NGOC – for better warfighting, stronger communications and improved visibility,” said NGA Director Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, during the NGA Washington launch ceremony.
The National GEOINT Operations Center (NGOC) will deliver distinct visual products and geospatial information to military and decision makers in an expanded and continuous mission-focused watch center.
Whitworth explained that in many ways, the NGOC is parallel to the National Security Operations Center operated by the National Security Agency.
At the NGOC, multiple watch teams are organized and led by senior-level officers to keep watch and provide time-critical decision advantage.
According to the GEOINT agency, the NGOC will drive NGA’s indicators and warning and global situational awareness mission from the “watch floor.”
NGA’s round-the clock “watch floor” has been in operation since the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, an NGA predecessor organization, formed in 1996. The NGOC will build on lessons learned from more than two decades of expertise and fuse together multiple watch functions.
