Date: December 10, 2009
The U.S. government is increasing geospatial intelligence for troops in Afghanistan by roughly 25 percent in line with the Pentagon’s planned 30,000-troop buildup, a senior National Geospatial Intelligence Agency official told Inside the Pentagon.
Fresh from an annual strategic planning meeting, the agency anticipates the volume of geospatial intelligence information, which is the collection and analysis of satellite imagery, will grow “significantly for the next couple of years,” said Paul Weise, manager of the National System for Geospatial Intelligence.
Although the force alignment for the thousands of new troops is still unclear, all forces — including combat, reconstruction and force protection — require different levels of geospatial intelligence, Weise said in an interview last week, adding he expects “in the order of certainly [a] 25 percent increase.”
A final decision, however, will be made by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and other senior leaders there, Weise indicated. Senior NGA officials are working with McChrystal’s team in the country. More….
2 Responses to “GEOINT Boost Expected With U.S. Force Buildup In Afghanistan”