J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 0 8

G EO I N T ’ s E vo luti on 

E n e rg izes M i l ita ry 

C a pa b i l iti es

Vol. 6 No. 4

A n a lysts L e a rn th e 

L ess ons of G e t t ysbu rg

Our Compact With

the Warfighter

Maintaining a Sacred Trust
On My Mind

NGA’s Expeditionary Mission

Going Where We Are Needed Most

Virtually all military and intelligence operations depend on NGA’s ability to provide geospatial intelligence 

(GEOINT) when and where they need it most—in their battle space. This complements the extensive external 

assignments and deployments that we have in support of domestic missions and civilian components of 

the government. Operational commanders and deployed forces in theater are experiencing the power of 

embedded NGA support and subsequently increasing their expectations and requirements daily. Having our 

NGA analysts and staff forward deployed, in our mission partners’ battle rhythm, makes the critical difference 

in a wide variety of missions. The common baseline for our deployed personnel is that, regardless of where 

they are located, they operate in a unique and crucial position. They make sure that the people who rely on 

us the most have the GEOINT they require, in a way that it can be digested and absorbed effectively.

For example, through GEOINT Support Teams (GSTs) we have fielded NGA staff officers and analysts to support 

subordinate elements throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, as well as Latin America 

and the western Pacific region. These GSTs provide NGA analysis, products and services to the warfighters, 

allowing the mission planners to, for example, ensure additional safety for convoys, provide mission planning 

support for operations and give soldiers in the trenches updates on local conditions and changing terrain.

Asymmetric Conflicts Demand Flexible, Forward Posturing

To quote Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, “We can now expect asymmetric warfare to be the mainstay 

of the contemporary and future battlefield...As the U.S. military evolves from a Cold War posture, there are 

two basic components to the makeover. First, retool the force for the counterinsurgency approach that is 

appropriate to asymmetric warfare. Second, pull together deployable civilian assistance that will mesh 

effectively with the military effort.”

NGA accepts the reality that an expeditionary mission will be with us for the rest of our professional 

careers, and we will continue to grow this mission to best meet the needs of our warfighters and other 

mission partners. To do this, we must institutionalize the mechanisms we have within NGA to support our 

deployers. For example, we must ensure that our deployed personnel have the most effective architecture 

in which to execute their missions. This architecture is broadly defined and includes not only connectivity, 

data libraries and standardized equipment, but also how we structure reachback support operations in St. 

Louis, Mo., Washington, D.C., and other locations.

Vital Experience for the Next Generation of Leaders

At the same time that NGA addresses this expeditionary mission at an organizational level, every member 

of the NGA workforce must view and embrace this mission personally. It has become exceedingly clear 

that this kind of operational experience is vital to developing the future leaders of this organization and 

across the Intelligence Community. As we look ahead 15-20 years, the individuals who will be leading this 

organization and the defense and intelligence communities will be the team members who have firsthand 

experience with some of the toughest challenges this nation is facing. Through experiences such as overseas 

deployment, the workforce will develop unique tradecraft and problem-solving skills that they will use as 

they advance into leadership positions.

Our forward-deployed personnel are one aspect of the capabilities we push forward into the fight. Having 

a robust reachback capability is every bit as critical to the warfighter. Our reachback support bridges the 

continuity gap between NGA’s in-house GEOINT talents and those of our forward-deployed representatives 

in theater. This support is vital to giving our warfighters the advantage they need to succeed in hostile and 

life-threatening situations.

GEOINT has become a critical component of our country’s military and intelligence operations and 

a vital foundation for visualization and decision-making from the Oval Office to the battlefield. It has 

become a lifesaving proposition, and our forward-deployed and reachback support personnel are making 

a tremendous difference everywhere they are stationed, every single day. With that in mind, NGA will to 

continue the steady pace of improvements that we have made in our warfighter support. Our nation, decision 

makers, and men and women on the front line deserve our very best, wherever the nation has sent them.

Robert B. Murrett

Vice Admiral, USN

Director
16 25

12

Contents

2	 Letter to Our Readers

3	 Guest Column: Expeditionary Operations Are

Now a Core NGA Mission

5	 Up Front: GEOINT’s Evolution Energizes Military

Capabilities

›› F E A T U R E S

7	 Empire Challenge Develops Interoperability for

the Warfighter

8	 Sidebar: Mobile Training Teams Take GEOINT on

the Road

9	 Army Brigades Learn to Utilize GEOINT

10	 NGA LaysGEOINT Foundation of I Corps’ Road to War

12	 Pacific Team Delivers GEOINT in Paradise

14	 Agency’s Efforts Improve NAVAIR Programs

16	 Situational Awareness Underlies Time-Dominant

Support

18	 Technical Executives Push Information Forward

19	 Analysts Learn the Lessons of Gettysburg

›› D E P A R T M E N T S

22	 21st Century: Crisis Action Team Responds to

Front-Line Requirements

23	 Partnerships: Evasion Charts Protect Downed

Forces

25	 Partnerships: NGA Military Reservists Perform

Critical Services

27	 Our Heritage: The Ho Chi Minh Trail 1970:

The Mission is the Mother of Invention

Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 ›› Vol. 6 No. 4

On the Cover

Warfighters fulfill a solemn responsibility, from the delivery of lifesaving 

aid to the application of lethal force. These men and women offer their 

lives to protect our lives, our country and our freedoms. Accurate and 

timely geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) contributes enormously to mission 

success. NGA analysts and personnel, whether at home or deployed, 

provide critical support to our warfighters, helping them perform their 

obligations with exactness and minimal loss of life. Everything this agency 

pursues points to a shared objective—to directly empower the warfighter 

or those deciding how they will be employed with the finest GEOINT 

available. NGA’s support is a critical element underlying their success—a 

sacred compact we cannot break. Warfighter photo by U.S. Air Force 

Senior Airman Steve Czyz. Cover model, Glenda Jenkins; photo by Rob 

Cox. Cover design by Carmella Bender.

1 Pathfinder » July/August 2008

More to the Story?

The online Classified Pathfinder, which is accessible 

by members of the Intelligence Community, may include additional information and expanded sections 

of some Pathfinder articles. The Classified Pathfinder 

provides a forum for reading and discussing topics 

at the level of “Unclassified//For Official Use Only” 

or higher. For information please contact the editor, 

Heather Cox, at 301-227-2290.
Published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Office of Corporate Communications

4600 Sangamore Road, Mail Stop D-54

Bethesda, MD 20816-5003

Telephone: (301) 227-7388, 

DSN 287-7388

E-mail: pathfinder@nga.mil

Director

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, U.S. Navy

Deputy Director

Lloyd Rowland

Office of Corporate Communications, Director

Paul R. Weise

Internal Communications Branch, Chief

Louis J. Brune

Editor

Jason K. Michas

Managing Editor

Kelly Kemp

Graphic Designer 

Carmella E. Bender

Contributing Authors

Greg Anderson

Maj. Darrell P. Brown, U.S. Air Force

Lt. Col. James Cabalquinto, U.S. Air Force

Shanan Farmer

Douglas Graves

Maj. Terry Herring, U.S. Army

Capt. Marshall Hudson, U.S. Army Reserve

Maj. Stephen Kahn, U.S. Marine Corps

Joel Maloney

Garratt Meeks

Jodicus “Wayne” Prosser

David Sullivan

Scott Tabor

Peter Terzian

Dr. Gary E. Weir

GETTING PUBLISHED

All members of the geospatial intelligence community are welcome to submit articles of community-wide interest. Articles are 

edited for style, content and length. For details on submitting 

articles, send an e-mail to pathfinder@nga.mil.

The Pathfinder is the medium with which the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency enhances and promotes public 

awareness and understanding of the discipline of geospatial 

intelligence. The Pathfinder is an authorized Department of 

Defense publication for members of the Department of Defense. 

Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official view 

of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, Department of Defense 

or NGA. Articles in the Pathfinder may be reproduced in whole 

or in part without permission, unless stated otherwise. If they 

are reproduced, please credit the author and the “National 

Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Pathfinder magazine.” Any 

reproduction of graphics, photographs and imagery is subject to 

the original copyright.

Letter to Our Readers

Our Compact With the Warfighter—

Maintaining a Sacred 

Trust

Entering battle is an act of faith, in oneself, 

in one’s training, in one’s unit, in one’s 

country—and in the data critical to performing 

one’s mission.

As an intelligence producer and combat 

support agency, NGA maintains a solemn obligation, a bonded contract to provide the most 

timely, precise and relevant geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data and products whenever 

and wherever our military forces and mission 

partners require them. We are in the business of saving lives.

In this issue, Joel Maloney discusses the expeditionary aspect of providing 

GEOINT to the front line. Articles that follow in this publication demonstrate 

NGA’s deployable expertise. We then explore the common bond between the 

warfighter and the GEOINT producer. Maj. Stephen Kahn, U.S. Marine Corps, 

shares his personal experiences with the “must have” value of GEOINT in the 

context of three disparate missions that together illustrate the breadth of operations assigned to our military forces.

Several articles examine the essential work of NGA Support Teams (NSTs) 

embedded with the military services. Whether improving multinational operations 

through support of exercises such as Empire Challenge, preparing units from mission planning through deployment to become more insightful GEOINT consumers, 

or providing critical technical services, these dedicated teams exemplify the agency’s commitment to provide the foundational layer of intelligence for the nation.

Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines face both asymmetrical and traditional challenges. Maj. Terry Herring, U.S. Army, illuminates the role that the 

National System for Geospatial Intelligence Crisis Action Team plays in satisfying the urgent needs of service personnel and mission partners to help “save 

lives and win the fight in the front lines of battle.”

Two articles by Greg Anderson speak to the variety of ways that NGA and its 

partners protect and empower the warfighter, from time-dominant support during operations where seconds count to the evasion chart, a celebrated product 

that is a critical part of the survival kit for military personnel when things go awry.

Punctuating the intimate relationship between the warfighter and NGA, 

Marshall Hudson discusses the rewarding efforts of reservists who fulfill their 

duties within the GEOINT arena as part of the Military Reserve NST.

Supporting the warfighter requires looking forward, but also looking back. 

Articles illuminating this need reveal how GEOINT tradecraft is informed and 

enhanced by studying historical lessons from Gettysburg to Vietnam.

The defense of liberty is a solemn task­—a task that NGA energetically responds to at home no less than abroad. Our next issue, September/October

will discuss the GEOINT contribution to homeland defense.

Paul R. Weise

Director, Office of Corporate Communications

Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008
Introduction

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates said recently 

when speaking of the need for greater intelligence, 

surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, “We 

are in the war—now. This is a critical time in the war. We 

need more, and we need it now.” He went on to predict 

that “asymmetrical conflict will be the dominant battlefield for decades to come, and procurement and training 

have to focus on that reality.” NGA’s mission is evolving 

as our threat environment has become more asymmetrical, diverse and amorphous. NGA needs to remain 

nimble and flexible to counter whatever threats emerge 

in whatever region needs our support.

From my perspective in the Office of the Military 

Executive, NGA’s support to the warfighter has moved 

beyond “surge support” into the realm of expeditionary 

operations. Much of NGA work and analysis will continue 

to occur in the footprint of our mission partners as we 

evolve to a structure where we are both externally assigned and forward deployed in order to provide the 

best possible geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) support 

to our full range of military and non-military mission 

partners. The agency will be performing at a high operational tempo for the foreseeable future, and many NGA 

personnel coming into the workforce now, or who have 

joined our workforce since Sept. 11, may spend their 

entire careers operating in a war footing. Expeditionary 

operations have now become a vital core mission of the 

agency and will be sustained well into the future; they 

are the expectation, not the exception. 

Expeditionary Mission—Our New Norm

Regardless of political winds, NGA will maintain a 

presence in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, South 

America, and other areas around the world for the 

foreseeable future. There has been an upward trend in 

demand as more commanders and partners are learning 

the significant value that GEOINT adds in operational 

planning and execution, and that trend may even increase. While we cannot fully predict how world events 

will develop, we know that GEOINT will continue to be 

essential to our warfighters and intelligence partners 

Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

around the world because almost every military decision 

and movement relies on the geographic data that NGA 

provides. Superior knowledge of the battle space is one 

of the single most valuable tools for our warfighters. It is 

our responsibility to ensure that support happens and 

to plan for how we can best provide that support. NGA 

supports more than just combat operations; we are a 

valuable asset in civil and reconstruction projects. Our 

role is vital in non-kinetic missions as we cannot only 

track high-value targets and weapons caches, but also 

must illustrate power grids, map gas lines and support 

water projects. These sorts of competencies and skills 

ensure that NGA’s presence will be needed for decades 

to come. Maintaining a robust forward presence is a vital 

component of this current and future support.

We must focus on institutionalizing the tremendous 

progress we have made toward this growing expeditionary mission. This forward, flexible posture has become 

the new norm for how NGA operates. The entire agency 

must embrace the notion that forward-deployed or 

Guest Column

Expeditionary Operations Are Now a Core NGA Mission 

By Joel Maloney, NGA Deputy Military Executive 

Photo by Larry Franklin

Joel Maloney, NGA Deputy Military Executive
Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

interagency joint duty assignments are a crucial part of 

developing a well-rounded NGA officer and are a requirement for future leaders. Intelligence officers need to 

understand battle rhythms, they need to see the power 

of their work first hand, and they need to always remain 

flexible—our enemy is.

Global Threats—Our New Reality

This trend is not unique to NGA. We are a part of the 

larger movement across the Intelligence Community (IC) 

and Department of Defense (DOD) that calls for transforming beyond our Cold War positioning into a more 

agile, forward-leaning posture. In our era of globalization, 

commerce, people, information and 

threats can travel around the world instantaneously. We must be prepared for 

almost any eventuality, in any corner of 

the world. The best way to do so is to be 

situated around the globe to know the 

Earth, physically and culturally. NGA can 

show the way for our mission partners by 

providing the best GEOINT to policymakers and those at the “tip of the spear.”

The Secretary of Defense and the 

Director of National Intelligence have 

repeatedly called for improvements in 

institutional collaboration. Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. 

James R. Clapper Jr., outlined the future threats and the 

strategic goals for the Defense Intelligence Enterprise 

in the Defense Intelligence Strategy. There he states, 

“Undergoing a fundamental change is our concept of 

‘engagement’ around the world. ...Our missions will be 

diverse and multidimensional, punctuated by persistent 

regional engagements requiring a range of military, 

humanitarian, and diplomatic capabilities and assets 

to be used simultaneously.... We will need to develop a 

sizeable cadre of immediately deployable experts with 

disparate skills.”

As we perfect the organizational support structures 

and learn more lessons, we can expect even more broad 

requirements across all levels of NGA for deployable 

experts, both military and civilian personnel from across 

all elements, including geospatial analysts, imagery 

analysts, source officers, policy officers and others. Our 

past successes and the support we have provided have 

created a larger demand for products and efficiencies. Our 

missions are broad, including combat support, but also 

humanitarian assistance, drug interdiction and special security events. These missions unfold not just in Bethesda, 

Md., and St. Louis, Mo., they occur in varied locations, in 

differing climates and amidst diverse cultural and operational environments. These missions require cooperation 

and collaboration across all elements of NGA as well as 

the IC, DOD, other federal agencies and 

our international partners to ensure that 

we are providing the most complete picture of realities on the ground.

Moving Forward

While adapting to the new expeditionary mission is imperative, challenges 

remain in implementing and planning for 

such a shift. The IC must remain mindful 

of the difficult balance between timedominant operations support and the 

need for longer-term strategic analysis 

and sound foundational data. Segmented and insulated elements must be open to these 

new missions and structures. Training requirements will 

change to prepare personnel to support our partners 

on the full range of NGA capabilities. These challenges 

are surmountable with creative thinking, perseverance, 

dedicated personnel, collaboration and cooperation.

We at NGA are particularly well-suited to support our 

warfighters in asymmetrical conflicts. We must remember to learn from our experiences, to lean forward, and 

to always strive to improve our craft. Embracing the 

expeditionary mission that has become our new norm 

will ensure that we always provide the highest quality 

support possible. The men and women on the front lines 

are relying on us. 

GEOINT will 

continue to be 

essential to our 

warfighters 

and intelligence 

partners around 

the world.
Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

Up Front

GEOINT’s Evolution Energizes Military Capabilities 

By Maj. Stephen Kahn, U.S. Marine Corps 

As a major in the U.S. Marine Corps, I have used 

geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in all of my assignments, 

from mission planning through tactical execution. During 

my last tour with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, I observed 

firsthand how GEOINT has progressed from a tool primarily used by top-level planners to a tool utilized by tactical 

operators in the everyday conduct of their missions.

The evolution of GEOINT has improved its effectiveness over the past four years. The interconnected 

reasons for this progress form a cycle that continues 

today. First, the expansion of GEOINT in the planning of 

operations—from the strategic level to the operational 

level to the tactical level—has increased. Second, the 

reproduction capability and ability to get products down 

to the “last tactical mile” for use by the tactical executor 

have significantly improved. Third, the number of people 

who are aware that GEOINT exists, what it is, what it can 

do for them and how to procure it has increased, and 

end users now request the specific GEOINT products that 

they need instead of relying solely on their intelligence 

sections to provide them.

I noticed these developments during my time with 1st 

Battalion, 8th Marines while executing three distinct 

operations: Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq, 

in the fall of 2004; relief operations following Hurricane 

Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana, in September 2005; 

and during the assisted departure of American citizens 

during the Levant crisis in Beirut, Lebanon, in July 

2006. In particular, I noticed three trends: better-quality GEOINT reached all operational levels, GEOINT was 

reproduced and distributed more effectively, and the 

military’s demand for GEOINT increased.

Better GEOINT and Better Access

As the utility of GEOINT has been recognized, its use 

has expanded down through all levels of the planning 

process. For example, for Operation Phantom Fury in 

Fallujah, we were provided with the standard planning 

products for a battalion, which included maps and imagery depicting key features and their locations, but which 

contained relatively little analysis or information that 

would answer the question “Why?” GEOINT wasn’t being 

pushed down to our level, and we didn’t know the right 

questions to ask, so we executed with what we had.

A year later, during relief operations following Hurricane Katrina, we found that GEOINT had expanded from 

the strategic level to the operational level. We received 

outstanding products that showed us the key locations 

we needed to be aware of, how to get there, and, better 

yet, how and where the floodwater would impact our 

operations. We were smarter, too, and were able to 

ask better questions, like, “How would receding water 

flow?”, “In what order would neighborhoods become 

trafficable?” and “When would the water level in this 

area drop below five feet?”

By the time we were off the coast of Beirut with the 

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in July 2006, 

we had been provided with a substantial quantity of 

GEOINT. We had outstanding maps and imagery, multiple 

solid terrain models, maps and graphics depicting cultural and religious geography, defensible terrain maps, 

cross-boundary route studies from potential beach 

landing sites, and maps of all areas known to be friendly 

to the United States. We knew how to ask the right questions to get products that provided us with the answers 

we needed to better plan at every level.

Improved GEOINT products aided relief operations in 

New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. 

Photo by NGA.
Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

Enough Copies for Everyone

Similarly, the ability to reproduce the excellent 

geospatial products that NGA generates has also significantly improved. In Iraq we generally had only whatever 

we could print on a standard laser jet printer. Due to 

competing requirements, we rarely received enough fullsize map and graphic products to provide them down 

to the squad and fire team level. We often couldn’t get 

sufficient copies of a single product and wound up with 

different units operating with different products. This 

proved frustrating, especially during Operation Phantom 

Fury, where not only were units within the same battalion 

operating with different products, but so were the different battalions and military services.

In New Orleans, with the arrival of the NGA Support 

Team, as well as the MEU’s Remote Replication System 

(RRS) capability, we were able to produce more than 

enough products to provide them down to all of the 

small unit leaders, as well as the local, state and federal 

officials we were supporting.

For the assisted departure of U.S. citizens from Lebanon, we began requesting products in the quantities 

needed the minute we received the warning order to 

begin movement to the Mediterranean. Not only had we 

learned to purchase better printers, but the MEU’s RRS 

played a significant role, as did NGA’s ability to ship 

products to us directly. By the time we were off the coast, 

squad leaders and platoon commanders were giving 

briefs on the terrain, culture, history and economics of 

Lebanon while standing over large multisheet maps and 

image products, as well as extremely detailed solid terrain models. The more information provided to the small 

unit leaders, the better and timelier the decisions they 

can make.

Users Want More GEOINT

The expansion of GEOINT and the Marines’ familiarization with it became the catalyst for its exponential growth 

in the field. During Operation Phantom Fury, the Marines 

executed the missions assigned with the tools they were 

given. Following Hurricane Katrina, they were impressed 

with the products they were being handed and began 

asking questions and learning about the thought process 

behind them. By the time the Levant crisis occurred, the 

intelligence sections were being hounded by requests for 

these “enhanced” products. The value placed on these 

GEOINT products was at a premium. The Marines who had 

now “grown up” with GEOINT support wanted it all the 

time and knew exactly what to ask for—and they weren’t 

waiting around for it. It was no longer viewed as a “nice to 

have”; it was a “must have.”

 Through these three operations, I witnessed the 

growth of GEOINT. Perhaps growth is not the correct 

word; maybe I witnessed the “awakening” of GEOINT. 

In the world we face today and on the battlefield we 

fight on, there is no clear picture of what is occurring. 

The “front lines” of World War I, World War II, Korea, and 

even to some extent Vietnam, don’t exist. It is about 

the decentralized, small unit leaders out there taking 

action—and the weapons they are armed with are not 

nearly as important as the intelligence they receive. The 

questions of “Why?” and “How?” are now equally as 

important as the questions of “What?” and “Where?” 

As GEOINT continues to answer these four questions 

more effectively every day, its value will most certainly 

continue to increase. And, as a member of NGA’s Office 

of Military Support, I am thrilled to be a part of the next 

generation in GEOINT’s evolution. 

Maj. Stephen Kahn

is a member of the

Office of Military Support. 

©2008 Jupiterimages Corporation

Beirut, Lebanon
Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

Empire Challenge Develops Interoperability for the 

Warfighter 

By Maj. Darrell P. Brown, U.S. Air Force 

The ability to share intelligence, surveillance and 

reconnaissance (ISR) between coalition forces has been 

a critical shortfall noted by commanders in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Interoperability between U.S. systems in the field can 

be a challenge. Problems increase exponentially when 

attempting multinational operations. The annual Empire 

Challenge exercise has been addressing the challenge of 

interoperability since 2004.

Meeting the Challenge

The Global War on Terrorism is a coalition endeavor. 

Combat forces from our Commonwealth partners, Australia, Canada, and Great Britain, have fought alongside 

U.S. forces from the start in both Afghanistan and Iraq. 

In addition, the standup of the International Security 

Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has significantly 

increased the footprint of NATO forces there. 

The optimal integration of multinational forces is 

accomplished with an interconnected communications 

network, or net-centric, environment. Key to net-centric 

warfare is interoperability. Key to interoperability are 

standards. NGA’s Acquisition Directorate recognized the 

need to test geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) sensor and 

data transmission standards in a “live-fly” environment, 

engendering the first Empire Challenge test demonstration in 2004.

Sponsored by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD (I)), Empire Challenge has grown into the 

premier ISR-focused demonstration series for the United 

States and its coalition partners. Subsequent exercises 

have built upon the successes and lessons learned from 

the previous years’ demonstrations. The sensors and 

data streams demonstrated have expanded from GEOINT 

systems to include those from multiple intelligence 

disciplines. However, the focus of Empire Challenge 

remains interoperability, network-enabled operations 

and coalition information sharing.

Empire Challenge 2007

Empire Challenge 2007 was the fourth iteration in a 

series of USD (I)-funded interoperability demonstrations 

related to the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), 

the information-sharing network used to integrate the tasking, processing, exploitation and dissemination of sensorderived intelligence disciplines into a common system.

NGA, in conjunction with the Joint Staff of the U.S. 

Joint Forces Command and the Joint Interoperability 

Test Command, hosted over 1,400 exercise participants 

representing all four U.S. military services, numerous 

combat support agencies, Commonwealth partners, and 

a subset of NATO members. Participants operated at over 

20 locations across six countries. The Naval Air Warfare 

Center in China Lake, Calif., provided the flight space for 

two weeks of live-fly operations by various ISR aircraft 

against ground forces conducting simulated opposing 

force operations, such as emplacements and detonations 

of improvised explosive devices and convoy ambushes.

A key success of Empire Challenge 2007 was standards 

compliance testing for airborne-derived GEOINT. Imagery 

collected by several aircraft was downlinked to the DCGSInteroperability test bed, as well as U.S. Army and Marine 

Corps DCGS segments. Motion imagery was streamed 

to ground stations in China Lake and broadcast via the 

Global Broadcast System to participants in Brampton, 

England; Ottawa, Canada; and Canberra, Australia.

The China Lake Naval Air Warfare 

Center supports Empire Challenge.

Photo provided by China Lake 

VCO Department.
The DCGS rides on the DCGS Integration Backbone 

(DIB) information technology architecture. Through the 

DIB structure, Empire Challenge participants could access and share downloaded data and products derived 

from GEOINT, Ground Moving-Target Indicator sensors 

and human intelligence. Empire Challenge 2007 provided a venue for a first-ever large-scale beta testing of the 

DIB architecture, which entailed 19 DIBs on four separate 

security domains on three continents.

Empire Challenge 2008

Continuing the practice of building on past events, 

Empire Challenge 2008 will push the envelope in terms 

of interoperability and standards compliance 

testing. Tied directly to warfighter needs, 

the 2008 exercise will revolve around 

testing for five mission threads: persistent surveillance, joint targeting, 

multi-domain awareness, non-traditional ISR and strike, and joint 

ISR management.

The growing importance of 

Empire Challenge and its unique 

ISR-focused scenario has increased interest 

Maj. Darrell P. Brown

is a Staff Officer with 

NGA’s Office of Military 

Support, Air Force Support 

Team. He served as the 

deputy NGA government 

lead for Empire Challenge 

2007.

across the defense community. As a result, the number 

of ISR aircraft involved has increased. This year’s event 

will also see increased NATO participation via the Multisensor Aerospace-Ground Joint Intelligence Surveillance 

and Reconnaissance Interoperability Coalition, which 

focuses on increasing interoperability through standards 

compliance and new technology. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, the United 

Kingdom and the United States make up the coalition.

Conclusion

Future Empire Challenge events will continue to 

respond to warfighter needs, particularly interoperability 

testing. Increased participation by combat elements will 

enhance the military concept of operations for time-sensitive targeting and increase the ability to share ISR data. 

NGA’s National Geospatial-Intelligence College 

(NGC) shapes many military careers by training 

military members in courses required for their 

GEOINT-related military occupational specialties. 

NGC also brings training to warfighters and other 

NGA partners at field locations worldwide through 

Mobile Training Teams (MTTs) deployed from its 

headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Va.

NGC deployed 240 MTTs during fiscal year 20

and is on track to deploy 280 MTTs by the end of 

fiscal year 2008. MTTs deliver training suitable for 

ranks from military enlisted personnel through 

senior officers. Forty training courses make up 

the current list of classes delivered by MTTs. The 

GEOINT technical courses teach warfighters to 

use imagery, perform imagery analysis and apply 

geospatial software tools using NGA’s digital data. 

Management courses include an orientation to 

the National System for Geospatial Intelligence 

and the overview class Geospatial Information 

and Services for the Warrior (GIS4W). The most

frequently requested and delivered classes are 

GIS4W, Geospatial Information and Services

101 (FalconViewTM), and the spectrum of sensors 

courses including Remotely Sensed Imagery 

(RSI), Thermal Infrared Exploitation (TIR) and 

Synthetic Aperture Radar Exploitation (SAR).

MTTs arrive at sites completely equipped to teach, 

even bringing mobile computer labs when necessary. NGC gives priority for scheduling of mobile 

training to deployed units and units preparing for 

deployment. For other units, a clearly articulated 

training requirement linked to the unit’s mission 

helps NGC accommodate requests. 

Mobile Training Teams Take GEOINT on the Road

8Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 
Army Brigades Learn to Utilize GEOINT 

By Jodicus “Wayne” Prosser 

As the U.S. Army continues to restructure itself from 

a division-based force to a modular brigade-based force, 

its requirements for geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities are growing, particularly at the level of the brigade 

combat teams (BCTs)—the Army’s smallest self-sufficient 

deployable combat units. The Office of Military Support–

Army (OMSA), an NGA Support Team, is helping the BCTs 

establish GEOINT expertise in accessing NGA products and 

data, knowing how to incorporate this information into 

their mission planning, and understanding how to request 

additional information from NGA sources.

OMSA directly engages BCTs in at least three ways: at 

each unit’s Counterinsurgency (COIN) Seminar, during 

exercises at Combat Training Centers (CTCs), and through 

additional interaction with embedded teams. In order to 

better support its mission partners, OMSA recently established three such teams at 1st Corps (Fort Lewis, Wash.), 

3rd Corps (Fort Hood, Texas), and 18th Airborne Corps (Fort 

Bragg, N.C.). Each team includes a staff officer, an imagery 

analyst and a geospatial analyst.

During COIN Seminars, the seminar leaders guide deploying BCTs through current scenarios, mission analysis 

and course of action development as part of the Military 

Decision Making Process (MDMP). Part of this discussion 

centers on using GEOINT within all MDMP phases. To enhance the MDMP cycle, OMSA trains BCTs using a tailored, 

flexible training program that includes how to access and 

use GEOINT. OMSA has trained over 20 BCTs around the 

world. When possible, OMSA follows the training with 

site visits that provide real-life experiences with the BCTs’ 

capabilities, limitations and needs.

The OMSA team at Fort Hood, Texas, nicknamed “the 

Armadillo Team,” visits BCTs while they train at the 

National Training Center (NTC), a CTC at Fort Irwin, Calif. 

In 2007, the Armadillo team supported the 3rd Armored 

Calvary Regiment during its Mission Rehearsal Exercise in 

preparation for deployment in support of Operation Iraqi 

Freedom. The Armadillo team lived and worked with the 

unit’s analysts and staff officers as they conducted mission planning. After training from the Armadillo team, the 

unit immediately accessed NGA information and services 

to improve its situational awareness and mission planning 

during the remainder of the exercise.

Each OMSA team also functions as a Regional Support 

Team (RST) for all Reserve, National Guard and active 

duty Army units within their assigned geographic regions. 

The RSTs work with BCTs’ senior intelligence staff officers 

to assist with identifying and obtaining needed GEOINT 

products, services and training. When the needs of BCTs 

overlap, preventing the RSTs from meeting multiple needs 

simultaneously, the RSTs help request imagery collection 

through Army channels, reach back to NGA production 

cells, or schedule Mobile Training Teams from NGA’s National Geospatial-Intelligence College to conduct training. 

Additionally, the location of the RSTs at the Corps’ garrison 

headquarters allows for specifically tailored support to 

individual units when time permits.

Maj. Darrell Walker of 3rd BCT, 1st Infantry Division, 

praises the support OMSA provides to BCTs. He states, 

“The NGA representatives working at 3rd Corps have been 

extremely beneficial to 3rd BCT, 1st Infantry Division. Their 

assistance proved extremely valuable as we stood up 

the brigade, learned to access national-level GEOINT at 

NTC, and prepared for deployment.” Walker’s comment 

indicates the considerable insight that NGA people and 

data supply. As the Army’s transformation continues, NGA 

is helping the new brigade combat teams to be the best 

GEOINT consumers that they can be. 

Jodicus “Wayne” Prosser

is an NGA Staff Officer 

assigned to 3rd Corps at 

Fort Hood, Texas. He leads 

the Armadillo Team within 

the Office of Military 

Support–Army.

9 Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

Army brigade combat teams 

traditionally symbolize completion 

of their training at “Painted 

Rocks” outside the main gate 

of Fort Irwin, Calif.

Photo by Steven Wall
NGA Lays GEOINT Foundation of I Corps’ Road to War 

By Garratt Meeks 

As the Global War on Terrorism continues, the U.S. 

Army’s 1st Corps (I Corps) is preparing to be next in the 

“sandbox” of Iraq. In 2009, I Corps is scheduled to take 

over the Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC–I) mission 

from the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps. To assist I Corps’ 

geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) preparation for war, 

an NGA Support Team (NST) will be at I Corps’ side from 

preparation through deployment.

I Corps, based in Fort Lewis, Wash., is on the leading 

edge of technology and Army transformation. The corps 

recently became the primary home of the Army’s newest 

fighting vehicle, the Stryker. Fort Lewis is also the home 

of the Office of Military Support–Army West Region 

(OMSA-West), an NST. NGA has had a presence at Fort 

Lewis since 2000. The OMSA-West team provides regional support from Colorado to the west coast, including 

Hawaii and Alaska. However, the team’s priorities have 

changed to focus on I Corps’ upcoming deployment.

The NST’s plan to make I Corps “GEOINT ready” 

includes training and education, assisting with deployment and reachback, tactical overwatch, and a Mission 

Rehearsal Exercise (MRX). Five NGA Mobile Training 

Teams will travel to Fort Lewis to teach classes in 

ArcGISTM, advanced GEOINT, commercial imagery and 

the Requirements Management System, an imagery collection and dissemination tool. This training will teach I 

Corps staff how to understand and use GEOINT. 

10Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 
Garratt Meeks

is an NGA Staff Officer assigned to 

the Office of Military Support–Army 

West Region.

In addition, a joint NGA–National Reconnaissance 

Office–I Corps conference will educate the corps staff 

on national agency support.

I Corps will provide tactical overwatch for the 18th 

Airborne Corps this summer by monitoring their operations, working parallel issues and providing reachback 

support. This overwatch will accomplish two goals: 

supporting the deployed unit and training the soldiers 

who will soon be in the fight. The MRX will follow to 

establish the corps’ fighting readiness. OMSA-West will 

play a major part in both the overwatch and exercise. 

Other NGA groups are also pitching in to prepare I Corps. 

The NGA Office of Global Support (OGS) is providing a 

veteran deployer to help the OMSA-West analysts during 

the tactical overwatch phase. The NGA Exercise Support 

Branch (OMSE) will set up a GEOINT cell to mimic OGS’s 

in-country GEOINT Support Team (GST) during the MRX.

Transforming the level of support to a deploying corps, 

NGA and OMSA have classified members of OMSA-West as 

NGA Volunteer Deployment Team-qualified, thus providing I Corps with the option to have the OMSA-West team 

deploy and staff the OGS GST during I Corps’ transition 

period in country. OMSA-West personnel will continue to 

provide reachback support for I Corps. Forward-deployed 

units will have the capability to communicate with NGA 

personnel at Fort Lewis for GEOINT support.

The Army created I Corps in 1918, and it is the most 

decorated corps in the active army. I Corps fought valiantly 

in World War I, World War II and Korea. Next year, thanks 

to NGA’s efforts to embed GEOINT into the planning, exercise and execution phases of their “road to war,” I Corps 

will serve in Iraq as a totally GEOINT-savvy fighting unit, 

making both NGA and the nation very proud.

11Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

A Stryker fighting vehicle moves out during exercises.

U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Andrew Hillegass
Pacific Team Delivers GEOINT in Paradise 

By Shanan Farmer 

Because it is fully integrated with its partners, 

the NGA team supporting the U.S. Pacific Command 

(USPACOM or PACOM) has an extremely high operational 

tempo that contrasts sharply with the relaxing island atmosphere of the Hawaiian Islands. People often assume 

that working in Hawaii means that life is paradise and 

work is “a breeze.” However, though most of the NGA 

employees assigned to the PACOM NGA Support Team 

(NST) do live in paradise, their work, while exciting, is 

definitely not a breeze.

The NST acts as the NGA Director’s single point of 

representation to the combatant commander and subordinate unified and service component commands. In this 

role, the NST provides flexible, in-depth and predictive, 

regionally focused geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

analysis at PACOM Headquarters and the Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) in Hawaii, at U.S. Forces 

Korea in Seoul, at U.S. Forces Japan outside Tokyo and at 

other commands in the Pacific region.

As might be expected, the engaging work performed 

by NST members varies widely and changes constantly, 

as the following recent examples demonstrate.

Fighting the Global War on Terrorism

NGA analysts embedded in the JIOC’s Combating 

Terrorism Division (CTD) work closely with U.S. military 

forces deployed to the Philippines and Pacific Rim 

countries. Special Forces teams and Navy Sea, Air, Land 

forces support and train local militaries as they participate in the war on terrorism. The U.S. personnel instruct 

Philippine soldiers on small unit tactics, weapons skills, 

communications and medical training designed to help 

them defeat the enemy and assist the local populace.

NGA analysts are on call 24 hours a day to provide 

intelligence support for pre-operational planning and 

ongoing operations. Support to troops in the field ranges 

from providing basic maps to creating complicated, fullmotion, 3-D fly-through videos covering a wide range of 

geographic areas. The analysts task and exploit commercial imagery of high-interest areas, providing direct intelligence support to forces of the Joint Special Operations 

Task Force–Philippines. The use of commercial imagery 

and imagery derived products provide the broadest 

dissemination possible, as all field operations are conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

NGA analysts in the CTD have traveled to the Philippines on several occasions to train soldiers in forwarddeployed locations on the basic use of geospatial tools 

to assist in mission-specific analysis and in ordering and 

exploiting commercial imagery. These visits improved 

the soldiers’ ability to do on-site analysis. Most importantly, these trips allowed NST analysts in Hawaii and 

soldiers in the Philippines to develop closer analytical 

relationships, resulting in better collaborative analysis.

In addition to real-world operational support, NST 

GEOINT analysts participate in all exercises that occur 

in the Philippines. Exploitation of exercise scenarios is 

completed at the JIOC and then immediately forwarded 

to military members participating in the operational 

planning stages of the exercise. Most recently, analysts 

assisted in identifying areas that were going to be rebuilt 

by joint AFP–U.S. military teams. While troops were 

conducting their engineering activities, GEOINT analysts 

provided force protection graphics and support to aid in 

the safe and secure completion of the mission.

Support to the Special Operations Command Pacific 

(SOCPAC) is provided by an NGA liaison in Hawaii who 

extensively trains Military Liaison Element (MLE) representatives before their deployment. Because this training 

is often the first exposure the MLE has to working with 

geospatial data, MLE personnel learn the basic functions 

12Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jacqueline Kabluyen

U.S. personnel instruct Philippine forces.
of FalconViewTM and ARCGISTM so they can 

do basic geospatial work while in the field. 

The MLEs also learn how to order commercial imagery for 

cases when all intelligence of operational value needs 

to be shared with local military and police forces. The 

NGA SOCPAC liaison also assists in exercise planning by 

contributing geospatial graphics and expertise, making 

exercise scenarios more in-depth and realistic.

Expanding Humanitarian Assistance and 

Disaster Relief

NGA’s Pan Pacific GEOINT Team at the JIOC leads 

PACOM’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief 

(HA/DR) GEOINT efforts. Before Cyclone Sidr made 

landfall on Bangladesh in November 2007, the team 

worked with NGA analysts and support personnel in 

St. Louis, Mo., and Washington, D.C., to prepare a collaborative approach for assisting with U.S. government 

relief efforts. NGA’s HA/DR support occurred on a nearly 

continuous basis for almost four weeks, providing commercial imagery, situational awareness products, damage assessments, highlight reports, planning references 

and briefing materials to command and operational units 

throughout the disaster relief operations. The U.S. Navy 

and Marine Corps units providing direct relief assistance 

to Bangladesh greatly appreciated the timeliness and 

relevancy of the NGA support and products. 

As a result of the experience with Cyclone Sidr, the 

NST stood up an HA/DR GEOINT center of excellence in 

Hawaii. The center plans, coordinates, monitors and 

responds to disasters in the Pacific region, enabling NGA 

experts, partners and civilian elements to form a virtual 

network to monitor and assess disasters—whether 

geophysical, manmade or weather-induced—and then 

support responders operationally. When Tropical Cyclone 

Nargis struck Burma on May 2–3, 2008, causing catastrophic damage and killing tens of thousands, these 

well-prepared virtual partners were put to the test. The 

PACOM NST went 24/7 and together with the HA/DR 

network provided over 200 GEOINT products within the 

four weeks following the cyclone. The defense attaché in 

Rangoon stated, “We really appreciate NGA’s support.”

Supporting 

the U.S. 7th Fleet

NST members deploy to 

unusual locations to provide direct 

support. For example, one geospatial analyst works on 

the command ship for the 7th Fleet, the USS Blue Ridge, 

which is based in Yokosuka, Japan. In 2007, the ship 

deployed to the Philippines to perform community relations and medical care projects. During the deployment, 

the analyst used a suite of GEOINT tools to complete many 

short-notice geospatial maps, force protection graphics 

and route studies. Security personnel used some of these 

products to help protect the U.S. ambassador to the 

Philippines and the 7th Fleet Commander. Although the 

deployment required long work hours, the port visits to 

Manila, Cebu, General Santos City, Hong Kong, Singapore, 

Jakarta and Port Kelang, Malaysia made for an unforgettable experience for the analyst.

These operational vignettes represent a small fraction of the support the PACOM NST provides to mission 

partners from its base in Hawaii. Since the Pacific region 

is home to several of the world’s largest armed forces 

and has been visited by 60 percent of the world’s natural 

disasters over the past 30 years, the NST is guaranteed 

to be busy supporting the warfighter for the foreseeable 

future. Life in the islands might call to mind the saying 

“It’s just another day in paradise,” but it’s paradise 

enjoyed and earned the NGA way.

13Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

Photos by Shanan Farmer

Shanan Farmer

is the Chief of the 

Intelligence Branch at 

the PACOM NGA Support 

Team (NST). Contributions 

for this article were provided by members of the 

PACOM NST.

The bird of paradise graces the Hawaiian Islands.

A sunset over Ko’Olina, Hawaii, offers a well-earned 

respite to hard-working NGA analysts.
Agency’s Efforts Improve NAVAIR Programs 

By Scott Tabor 

The NGA Offices of Military Support (OMS), Future 

Military Warfare (OMW) and Geospatial Intelligence 

Management (OGM) have teamed up in their collaboration with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) at 

Naval Air Station Patuxent River in southern Maryland. 

Coordinated by the NAVAIR NGA Support Team (NST), 

their collaboration focuses on improved geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) availability, access and interoperability 

in new Navy and Marine Corps combat systems under 

development at NAVAIR.

The NAVAIR NST provides GEOINT subject matter 

expertise and data critical to NAVAIR systems development programs and operations at NAVAIR facilities in 

Patuxent River, Md.; Point Mugu and China Lake, Calif.; 

Orlando, Fla.; Lakehurst, N.J.; and around the world. 

These traditional NST missions also extend to neighboring commands and activities such as the U.S. Navy Test 

Pilot School, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Naval 

Test Wing Atlantic. 

On station, the NST attends working groups and 

meetings as an active member of the NAVAIR programs’ 

planning and integration teams. In this capacity, and 

in collaboration with OGM and OMW, the NST has been 

leading a continuing focus on the governance of GEOINT 

standards and interoperability, inserting GEOINT subject 

matter experts from the NGA Interoperability Action 

Team (NIAT) into the various programs’ requirements and 

design efforts.

Throughout the Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition framework, milestone achievements for each 

program’s critical requirements and design are carefully 

drafted, validated, approved and documented. These design and support documents articulate how a system will 

be conceived, designed and funded, documenting the 

systems development, operational employment, retirement and disposal requirements throughout the system’s 

entire life cycle. It is vital that GEOINT requirements are 

accurately presented in these documents.

Whether supporting navigation; mission planning; targeting; 

14Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet performs a high-speed maneuver over the Indian Ocean. 

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Geoffrey Lewis

or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor 

queuing, GEOINT is a key element in every existing and 

future NAVAIR system. The accuracy and intuitive nature 

of the GEOINT requirements described in design and 

support documents are critical to reducing cost overruns 

typically associated with lengthy development timelines 

and poor interoperability.

A notable accomplishment resulting from the collaboration between NGA and NAVAIR is the implementation of 

increased GEOINT governance earlier in the development 

cycle. This advancement is improving the efficiency of 

the DOD acquisition process as 

it relates to GEOINT. Today, 

three of the NIAT’s top 

priorities—priorities set by 

15Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

the directors of OGM and OMW and by the Office of the 

Chief Information Officer—are programs under development at NAVAIR. These important unmanned air systems, 

maritime surveillance and interdiction programs will 

impact all of DOD and the Intelligence Community. Thus, 

the team effort between OMS, OMW and OGM ensures 

NGA governance in new systems development and saves 

the taxpayers millions of dollars. 

The obvious benefit to NAVAIR is in the risk that NGA alleviates from its programs. NGA presents itself to NAVAIR 

as a cost-free solution rather than an oversight burden. 

Solutions to GEOINT problems come 

in the form of day-to-day and 

face-to-face GEOINT expertise, easy 

access to NGA and its resources, and 

assurance that combat systems are 

harmonized with the National System 

for Geospatial Intelligence and mission-critical GEOINT datasets. Because GEOINT is a vital 

element in modern warfare systems, and because it 

is NGA’s job to govern the GEOINT advantage, NAVAIR’s 

partnership with NGA is good for everyone. 

Scott Tabor

is a Staff Officer with the NAVAIR 

NGA Support Team engaged in 

every aspect of GEOINT governance at 

NAVAIR.
Situational Awareness Underlies Time-Dominant Support 

By Greg Anderson 

NGA analyst: “How quick do you need the point?”

Marines: “ASAP.”

NGA analyst: “We are pulling point positioning data now ....”

Marines: “Send me what you can when you can.”

Marines: “I appreciate your work.”

Marines: “Time over target 3 minutes.”

Marines: “Initial point inbound.”

Marines: “1 minute.”

Ground Station: “Southern side completely collapsed.”

Marines: “Thanks for the work.”

NGA’s combat reachback support emphasizes 

time-sensitive responses with precise geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). Four years ago, like U.S. and coalition 

responses to the growing insurgency in Iraq, it was reactive in nature. The preceding chat traffic from an air combat operation over Iraq illustrates how NGA’s reachback 

support has evolved to provide precise and accurate 

time-dominant information to warfighters where and 

when they need it. This tactical airstrike destroyed 11 

tons of highly explosive material probably destined for 

use in enemy improvised explosive devices.

NGA’s analytical experience in Iraq and Afghanistan 

shows that forward deployers and reachback assets are 

most effective when their situational awareness is commensurate with the warfighters’ situational awareness. 

The operation leading to the tactical airstrike was a collaborative effort between U.S. Marines and Multi-National 

Forces in Iraq, and intelligence and targeting analysts and 

mission partners spread across nine time zones. Communication links, such as dedicated chat rooms, allowed the 

geographically dispersed group to share tactical airborne 

imagery and precise targeting experience in real time. 

Advances in photogrammetry, imagery science and communication networks were important; however, much of 

the success rested on NGA personnel demonstrating situational awareness and earning the trust of the warfighter 

and the Intelligence Community (IC).

For 30 years, NGA and its predecessors have tackled 

the technical challenges of accurately determining the 

target attributes of latitude, longitude and elevation. 

Within the last several years, the Precision Engagement Division (PRT) of NGA’s Office of Targeting and 

Transnational Issues, which serves as the steward of the 

agency’s targeting reachback resources, has made important strides in helping NGA integrate these attributes 

within the fleeting dimension of time. 

No Substitute for Experience

Experience gained from NGA’s robust deployment of 

geospatial and imagery analysts and improved collaboration within the IC has allowed the agency, its offices 

and the NGA Support Teams (NSTs) to become more 

proactive in their reachback role, for example by incorporating airborne imagery and signals intelligence (SIGINT) 

into time-dominant operations support.

In an earlier engagement during the summer of 2007, 

PRT’s mission chiefs, while monitoring airborne imagery 

along a supply route in Iraq, saw a convoy come under 

small arms and rocket-propelled grenade attack. The 

full-motion video of that engagement was sent forward, 

while at the same time PRT analysts “leaned forward” 

and began building a mission-specific set of precise 

terrain and feature data before the convoy reached its 

destination. The mission chiefs, many of whom are U.S. 

military reservists collocated with NGA targeting experts, 

were able to sort through the confusion of the engagement and provide the convoy with a precise viewshed 

analysis it used to strike back on its own terms while 

minimizing the risk to allied compounds in the area.

The composition and experience of regional and 

targeting analysis teams and mission chiefs illustrate an 

important facet of how NGA is leading the revolution in 

time-dominant reachback support. The NGA Aerospace 

16Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class John Skrzyniarz

Military personnel ready a Marine Corps Harrier for flight.
Target and Analysis Center in St. Louis, Mo., includes 

civilian analysts, active-duty military personnel, reservists and contractors who work with NSTs and regional 

production offices to support warfighters’ requests. Military and intelligence professionals build trust through 

rotational assignments and deployments in theater. The 

mission chief on duty during the strike on the explosive 

material had recently returned from an assignment to 

the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid 

Airbase in Iraq. His familiarity with the CAOC mission 

helped facilitate the targeting support during the airstike 

and other time-sensitive missions.

Analysis Now

Since November 2007, PRT analysts have supported 

two fusion cells, which combine assets from multiple 

mission partners, serving U.S. and International Security 

Assistance Force (ISAF) allies in Afghanistan. In one 

operation, analysts with terrain, targeting and tactical 

imagery experience worked in unison to monitor activity around a suspected high-value target from tactical 

airborne assets. They then fused the intelligence gained 

into precise terrain and feature data used to evaluate 

helicopter landing zones and ingress and egress routes. 

The trust between the fusion cell and the PRT analysts, 

coupled with the situational awareness they developed 

beginning in the planning phase, carried on to the postoperation phase. Full-motion video captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle during the mission was available 

for analysis before the aircraft had returned to base.

Working together, the NGA deployer supporting the 

fusion cells and the analysts and mission chiefs back 

in PRT were able to support more missions at a faster 

tempo and with a greater margin of safety. The faster 

operational tempo and added flexibility in mission 

planning enabled the ISAF to execute a more aggressive 

campaign, even during winter months, which allowed its 

forces to better dictate the tempo of operations.

The skill of agile, empowered and trusted NGA analysts, 

coupled with the situational awareness they develop, 

drives NGA’s time-dominant GEOINT support. Partnered 

with the lethal professionalism of U.S. and allied warfighters, this support is a powerful force multiplier.

17Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

Greg Anderson

is the Special Issues 

Manager for NGA’s Precision Engagement Division.

A Marine Corps Harrier prepares to land during 

a training exercise. NGA analysts provide critical 

support to Marine flight crews and other U.S. and 

allied forces during time-dominant operations.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekiel R. Kitandwe
As the demand for geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) 

grows within global military operations, so do the means 

by which NGA delivers information technology (IT) and 

information services (IS) that better meet that demand. 

As NGA’s IT and IS provider, the Enterprise Operations 

Directorate (E) deploys technical executives (TXs) 

worldwide to execute its “push-forward” technique of 

disseminating GEOINT.

Prior to October 2006, NGA Support Teams (NSTs) 

collocated with military partners led the effort to move, 

store and process GEOINT in forward locations. However, 

as the technology became more complex and NGA’s 

forward infrastructure grew, the support for technical 

services became more burdensome. This drove NGA to 

provide special technical experts in IT and IS who could 

address the delivery of GEOINT. Since October 2006, E 

has placed these TXs at almost all of the Unified Combatant Commands.

Warfighter support has become increasingly more 

efficient as the TXs have represented the combatant 

commands’ technical needs across the spectrum of IT 

organizations that the commands depend on for GEOINT. 

For example, the TXs communicate technical issues to 

the commands, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the 

Defense Information Systems Agency so that all are more 

effective in supporting NGA to address network provisioning, outages, scheduling maintenance and problem resolution. The TXs also work on behalf of the NSTs on systems 

deliveries and upgrades, discrepancy report resolution, IT 

incident management, IT and IS requirements generation 

and development, and IT/IS contract management. 

NGA is committed to assigning additional on-site TXs 

to other NSTs and is seeking to fill TX positions at the 

U.S. Special Operations Command and the National 

Air and Space Intelligence Center and to expand the TX 

model at the U.S. Central Command with an additional 

technical professional. 

As NGA’s analytic and source management presence expands at forward locations, so will the IT and IS expertise. 

“We are seeing tremendous returns on investment to the 

mission as a result of our ‘push-forward’ capability. These 

include tremendous improvement in the access, discovery 

and utilization of GEOINT products,” says David White, 

Director of Enterprise Operations Infrastructure Service 

Provider Core Services. “This ‘push-forward’ capability is 

proving to be the right concept for modern challenges.” 

Lt. Col. James Cabalquinto (Left) and Douglas Graves (Right)

Lt. Col. James Cabalquinto is the Chief, 

External Support Branch, Enterprise Operations Directorate. His branch is responsible for 

enterprise operations at combatant command, 

Intelligence Community and mission partner 

locations.

Douglas Graves is the Chief, External Operations Division, Enterprise Operations Directorate. His division is responsible for enterprise operations for the National 

System for Geospatial Intelligence.

Technical Executives Push Information Forward 

By Douglas Graves and Lt. Col. James Cabalquinto, U.S. Air Force

18Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 
Analysts Learn the Lessons of Gettysburg 

By Dave Sullivan 

To enhance their ability to provide today’s warfighters with the latest and most advanced geospatial 

intelligence (GEOINT), many NGA analysts are drawing on 

valuable lessons learned from studying an American Civil 

War battle. Since 1998, over 700 agency personnel have 

participated in the two-day Gettysburg Staff Ride, taught 

by senior GEOINT analysts from the agency’s Analysis and 

Production Directorate. During a day on the battlefield, 

students learn lessons on the value to military forces of 

timely, accurate intelligence and the impact of military 

geography on combat operations.

Staff rides and the broader study of military history 

enjoy a long tradition. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wrote 

that “the Army extends its analytical interest to the 

dust-buried accounts of wars long past ...” to illuminate 

fundamental and timeless principles of success. Gettysburg National Military Park was created in 1896 in 

part to preserve the battlefield so that it could serve as 

an outdoor classroom for military instruction. As early as 

1902, cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point 

visited Gettysburg to study the battle to improve their 

skills as future officers.

According to Chuck Norville, lead instructor for the 

course, the Gettysburg Campaign is ideal for teaching the 

importance of GEOINT, which played such a crucial role 

in determining the outcome of this pivotal battle fought 

between Confederate and Union armies during July 1–3, 

1863. “It is no coincidence that the side with the most 

timely, accurate and complete intelligence and geospatial 

information won the battle. Union forces entered the 

battle with a very good picture of the enemy facing them 

and of the terrain over which they would have to fight—an 

advantage they retained throughout the three days of 

battle at Gettysburg. Conversely, Confederate forces 

stumbled blindly into battle on unfamiliar ground and 

with little idea of the strength, disposition or nature of the 

foe they faced.”

Course participants examine this point in detail 

during their stop at McPherson’s Ridge, where the 

battle of Gettysburg began on July 1. In the Civil 

War, cavalry units were responsible for gathering 

intelligence on the disposition of enemy forces. 

19Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

The author leads a discussion of military geography at Little Round Top, 

Gettysburg National Military Park.

Photo by Jeffrey Newby
20Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

During the latter stages of their advance into southern 

Pennsylvania in June, Southern cavalry under Gen. J.E.B. 

Stuart became separated from the rest of the Confederate Army, forcing Gen. Robert E. Lee to operate without 

his “eyes and ears.” Lee’s senior Corps commander, 

Gen. James Longstreet, felt that with Stuart absent his 

advance was someone walking “over strange ground with 

his eyes shut.” With no cavalry units available to gather 

intelligence, the Confederate Army sent a large infantry 

force towards Gettysburg on the morning of July 1 with no 

knowledge of the distribution of Union forces in the area.

In contrast, the Union Army had cavalry performing 

the reconnaissance role that it was designed to do. Gen. 

John Buford commanded a cavalry division at Gettysburg 

on June 30 and July 1. He provided a steady stream of 

intelligence reports to his superiors on the disposition 

of the Confederate Army and their move towards Gettysburg. Norville emphasizes that in reviewing the opening moves for both armies in the battle, “Students can 

plainly see how much a commander’s decision-making 

process benefits from having the right information at the 

right time. Timely intelligence literally saves lives.”

The staff ride does not attempt to tour the entire battlefield. Dave Sullivan, Norville’s fellow instructor for the 

last 10 years, emphasizes that “we stop at locations that 

provide some of the better examples of how intelligence 

and military geography affected the battle. At these stops 

we discuss not only what happened there, but more 

importantly why events unfolded as they did.” At each 

stop, students read aloud accounts written by individuals 

who participated in the battle in order to understand 

what the situation was like during the fighting and what 

individual soldiers and officers knew or did not know 

about what was happening around them.

On the battlefield, course participants benefit from the 

extensive research they do before beginning class. Students prepare by reading almost 200 pages of background 

material about the Gettysburg campaign, military geography, logistics, military organization, types of ground operations and the principles of war. The first day of the staff 

ride is spent in the classroom reviewing and preparing 

for the trip to Gettysburg the next day. Sullivan indicates, 

“This review serves to maximize the value of our time on 

the battlefield. Once we arrive at Gettysburg, we generally 

don’t have to answer a lot of basic questions.”

The three days of fighting at Gettysburg provide dramatic examples of the effect of geography on combat. In addition to hills, streams or other features, even something 

as mundane as the type of fence bordering a road can 

affect how armies operate in the field. “Military geography 

is just as important today as it was in 1863,” emphasizes 

Scott Kenepp, a cartographer who last year joined Norville 

and Sullivan in presenting the course. “Union Commander 

George Meade, a one-time topographic engineer, ordered 

the concentration of Northern troops to Gettysburg on July 

1 after receiving reports that the Union position was on 

good ground to fight a battle. Students stand on the same 

ground as the soldiers and better understand the decisions made based on military geography.”

One of the highlights of the staff ride is the time spent 

on the slopes of Little Round Top. A brigade on the left 

flank of the Union Army brought in to defend this hill 

was attacked late in the afternoon of July 2 by Southern 

troops unfamiliar with the terrain. Confederate Brig. Gen. 

Evander Law later wrote that the “thick woods, which in 

great part covered the sides of Round Top and the adjacent hills concealed from view the rugged nature of the 

ground, which increased fourfold the difficulties of the attack.” In discussing the failure of his men to capture the 

hill, Lt. Col. King Bryan indicated that they were thwarted 

by “the rocky nature of the ground over which we had to 

pass, the huge rocks forming defiles through which not 

more than 3 or 4 men could pass abreast, thus breaking 

Photo by Jeffrey Newby

Detail of the Virginia Memorial, Gettysburg National Military Park.
Dave Sullivan

is an Imagery Analyst in NGA’s Analysis 

and Production Directorate, Office of Eurasia-Africa. Chuck Norville of the Office of 

Asia-Pacific and Scott Kenepp of the Workforce 

Development and Tradecraft Office contributed 

to this article.

up our alignment and rendering its reformation impossible.” The Confederate Army’s lack of knowledge about 

the difficulty of the landscape undoubtedly contributed 

to its failure to defeat Union troops on Little Round Top—a 

lesson that resonates with virtually every student.

The discussion on Little Round Top also brings out 

the role of Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, the Union 

Army’s chief engineer officer, in securing that key ground 

for the Union Army. Arriving on the summit of the hill on 

July 2, Warren found it virtually unoccupied. Recognizing 

its importance, he took immediate steps to have units 

brought in to defend it. Because of his actions, Warren is 

frequently called the Savior of Little Round Top. After the 

Civil War, Warren oversaw the production of a detailed 

map of the Gettysburg battlefield that is still used by the 

National Park Service. One of the most highly regarded 

topographic engineers in the U.S. Army, Warren is also 

the namesake for one of the original buildings at NGA’s 

Bethesda headquarters complex.

NGA’s Gettysburg Staff Ride stresses the critical 

importance of the GEOINT products and services that the 

agency provides to the military and other customers on 

a daily basis. In their end-of-course critiques, students 

consistently mention how effectively the course links 

the lessons from Gettysburg to NGA’s mission. A 2007 

21Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

participant summed up the 

opinion of many when he 

reflected that the “lessons 

learned at Gettysburg make it 

absolutely clear why our work 

is so important.” Bruce Heater, 

the director of NGA’s Office of 

Asia Pacific, believes that this 

course provides “fundamental 

instruction on a variety of 

pertinent issues to military 

analysts—the value 

of reconnaissance, 

understanding terrain, 

knowing your opponent, controlling 

lines of communication, sustaining logistics 

and concentration of 

force—and all within 

walking distance of 

some of the most 

important historical 

terrain in American 

history.” 

The actions of Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren earned him the 

designation “Savior of Little Round Top.” A statue of this Union officer 

surveys the terrain within Gettysburg National Military Park.

Photo by Rob Cox
22Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

21st Century

Crisis Action Team Responds to Front-Line Requirements 

By Maj. Terry Herring, U.S. Army, and Peter Terzian

Throughout history, the ability to respond quickly 

to intelligence needs has tipped the balance of military 

operations in favor of those who are most agile. The National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) Crisis Action Team (NCAT) has proven its ability to rapidly respond 

to national security requirements and deliver geospatial 

intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities to the warfighter.

The NCAT was activated in February 2007 to respond 

to crisis requirements submitted by forward-deployed personnel in support of increased 

troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The team directly supports the 

operations of warfighters, forward-deployed NGA personnel 

and agency partners who are 

engaged in the Global War 

on Terrorism.

Recently, Vice President 

Dick Cheney, while in Iraq, 

remarked on the war saying, 

“If you reflect back on those 

five years, it’s been a difficult, 

challenging, but nonetheless 

successful endeavor. We’ve come 

a long way in five years, and it’s 

been well worth the effort.” The NCAT 

has actively contributed to this success.

To accomplish its mission, the NCAT must perform rapid triage on crisis requirements that come in 

from the front. The capability to exploit GEOINT underlies 

these requirements and directly assists troops in tracking and defeating enemy elements engaged in battle. 

The team has processed over 100 requests 

since its inception. These have ranged from 

very small needs, such as furnishing desk and 

laptop computers, to very large multipartner and 

multiplatform initiatives to provide the best timedominant GEOINT possible.

The NCAT’s technical expertise and facilitating 

skills, and its close coordination with the combatant 

commands and other mission partners, have resulted 

in the development and integration of numerous solutions for GEOINT consumers. For example, as the use 

of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) increased in Iraq 

and Afghanistan, analysts required the capability to 

process and manage streaming video feeds. The NCAT 

immediately implemented a solution to address the 

rapid increase in UAV collection. The team’s 

expertise and focus have helped save 

lives and win the fight in the front 

lines of battle.

The team’s support of key 

strategies and critical functions contributes to its 

focus on delivering the best 

resources to those who need 

them most. The consistent 

message of the NCAT is a 

reflection of NGA Director 

Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett’s 

directive to “retain our sense 

of urgency and work as a unified 

community of experts, producers 

and partners, providing the data and 

knowledge our nation needs.” The team 

has showed exceptional dedication to this goal and 

has ensured the delivery of critical capabilities needed 

by our forward-deployed analysts and warfighters to 

successfully accomplish their missions.

Maj. Terry Herring (Left) and Peter Terzian (Right)

Maj. Terry Herring is an Army Signal 

Officer who recently returned from an 

Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, bringing 

with him extensive experience in field craft 

and operations.

Peter Terzian is a Senior Systems Engineering 

Contractor assigned to the NSG Crisis Action 

Team who is certified in enterprise architecture 

and has extensive software engineering experience.
Partnerships

Evasion Charts Protect Downed Forces 

By Greg Anderson

The slow, methodical sweep of the Marine sniper 

team’s scopes sought out a pattern, reflection or movement against the woodlands that would give away the 

target. Although the target evaded detection, the retired 

Air Force master sergeant commanding the team grinned 

in satisfaction. With survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) experience dating back to Vietnam, and with 

a drawl that hinted at his Louisiana roots, he thanked the 

Marine snipers and reminded them that they, along with 

a small group of NGA cartographers and printing professionals, had helped improve a product that most military 

personnel hoped they would never need to use—the 

Evasion Chart (EVC). The retired master sergeant is now 

the program manager for EVCs for the Department of 

Defense’s Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA).

The EVC program traces its roots to the silk escape and 

evasion charts used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during 

World War II. In the early 1980s, JPRA and NGA predecessor 

organizations began producing EVCs in partnership. NGA’s 

geospatial intelligence mission dovetails with JRPA’s mission to enable the recovery of isolated personnel to friendly control. These two agencies continue to collaborate with 

military elements, such as the Marine snipers, to build 

better EVCs and a more efficient production process—in 

direct support of the Global War on Terrorism.

EVCs were originally designed so that downed aircrew 

members could determine and radio their position to 

recovery personnel or travel to a better location from 

which to signal or even to a preselected recovery point. 

If necessary, they could use the EVC to navigate out of a 

hostile environment during an extended evasion. EVCs 

also include tips on which plants to eat or avoid, travel 

techniques, first aid, signaling, camouflage and other 

items. Printed on Tyvek®, a tear- and water-resistant 

paper, EVCs can even help users stay warm and dry.

The EVCs and the SERE training programs offered by 

the military services received a degree of public acclaim when U.S. Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady was shot 

down in Bosnia in 1995 and used an EVC to help evade 

capture. That moment is represented by an EVC, signed 

by O’Grady with a note of appreciation, displayed at the 

NGA facility in St. Louis, Mo. The displayed EVC, which 

post-dates O’Grady’s experience, represents NGA and 

JPRA’s commitment to listen to the needs of the warfighter community and to strive for excellence.

By the late 1990s the EVC program had slowed as the 

combatant commands felt that EVC coverage was then 

adequate. At the same time, NGA was transitioning 

from manual to digital compilation and reproduction 

processes. As the new century approached, the need for 

a revitalized EVC program became clear. NGA and JPRA 

rose to the challenge.

The situation presented an opportunity to solicit 

evasion chart users for ways to improve the EVC design, 

while incorporating new compilation, lithographic and 

printing processes. These advancements helped NGA 

and JPRA create a more agile production process, which 

proved invaluable in meeting the influx of new requirements in the post-Sept. 11 environment.

One of those changes was in the camouflage design 

used to make the nearly 20 square foot EVCs disappear 

into the background. Camouflage patterns had been 

incorporated into the modern EVC since 1980. However, 

conversations with the SERE community indicated that 

23Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008
24Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

the original color pattern, similar to the one then used on 

military battle dress uniforms, was too large to effectively 

hide the EVC. JPRA and NGA designed a series of new patterns that incorporated smaller color elements, matched 

customized colors to unique environments, and increased 

the feathering of different chart elements. These new 

patterns were tested by the Marine snipers at Quantico.

The original pattern and layout of the EVC used by 

O’Grady in 1995 was picked out by the sniper team in a 

few minutes. The new pattern that brought the smile to 

the retired master sergeant has now been incorporated 

into all newly compiled EVCs used by fellow Marines and 

U.S. aircrews, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Other U.S. military personnel have also begun to recognize the value of the new EVCs.

While the design advances move forward, NGA and JPRA 

also pursued a parallel effort regarding the utility of the 

chart source used to build EVCs. To incorporate lessons 

learned by the warfighter community, project managers 

worked with NGA support teams at the U.S. Transportation 

and Special Operations Commands, past and current military aircrew members assigned to NGA, the Air Force SERE 

training program, and the Joint Readiness Training Center, 

which trains brigade combat teams for war.

Feedback from this energetic collaboration, along 

with newer production processes, has allowed NGA 

cartographers to expand the chart and map sources used 

in EVCs. Previously, the selection of geospatial sources 

was biased toward the aeronautical charts used by pilots 

and navigators in flight, rather than the type of maps 

needed by a downed pilot, like O’Grady, looking up at 

his wing man. A key change was to exploit a wider range 

of cartographic sources, in some cases customizing 

EVCs to specific operational areas. For example, NGA 

incorporated topographic line maps at the most suitable 

scales as the cartographic sources in recompiled EVCs 

over Iraq produced in time for Operation Iraqi Freedom 

and for EVCs over the Sulu Archipelago used to support 

Operation Enduring Freedom—Philippines. Additionally, 

the increased detail and currency of terrain and culture 

data made the Iraq and Sulu EVCs better evasion aids, 

while the customized camouflage patterns used made 

the charts safer for the evader.

During one SERE training course, the JPRA program 

manager met members of a unit that had flown over the 

islands of the Sulu Sea. They were impressed with the 

detail of the new charts and felt reassured that the EVCs 

would help get them rescued in an evasion situation. 

They asked the program manager to pass their appreciation to the people at NGA as well. NGA and JPRA continue 

to gather input from those who complete SERE training 

programs. The agencies have designed special EVCs over 

key training areas to facilitate the sharing of information 

and allow SERE students to train like they would evade.

EVCs are currently produced by cartographic analysts 

in NGA’s Source Operations and Management Directorate, GEOINT Foundation Office, working hand in hand 

with JPRA to ensure timely delivery of this hardcopy product. Approximately 400 EVCs covering regions around 

the world have been developed through this partnership. 

The story behind the revitalization of the EVC by JPRA 

and NGA is a great example of the importance of building 

and maintaining close working relationships across the 

combat support and intelligence communities. As this 

case illustrates, in the pursuit of excellence it is imperative to reach out and listen to the warfighter. 

Greg Anderson

is the Special Issues 

Manager for NGA’s Precision Engagement Division. 

He served previously as 

the Chief of the Evasion 

Chart program.

Photo by Tom DeCleene

Evasion charts help conceal downed forces, as in this training exercise.
Partnerships

NGA Military Reservists Perform Critical Services 

By Capt. Marshall Hudson, U.S. Army Reserve

Reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines 

with the Military Reserve NGA Support Team (NST) in the 

Office of Military Support serve in offices throughout the 

agency and with NSTs across the country. These reservists contribute to NGA’s mission, as well as the nation’s 

defense and military readiness, by updating potential 

targets, developing intelligence products and providing 

situational awareness to warfighters in deployed areas. 

They do so at very low cost to the agency, since in many 

cases the military services provide their salaries.

The NST reserve contingent is composed of sailors 

who are part of the Navy Drilling Reserve Unit, soldiers 

and airmen who are in the individual mobilization 

augmentee (IMA) program, and all services who have 

members at NGA on active duty orders.

The majority of the reservists work in direct support 

of the Analysis and Production Directorate’s Office of 

Targeting and Transnational Issues. The main mission of 

the Navy unit and the detachment of Army IMA soldiers 

who serve alongside them is to conduct area searches to 

identify military-related facilities of potential adversary 

nations. They find prospective targets, update old intelligence reports and databases and produce intelligence 

products. These reservists train in basic imagery and 

geospatial analyst skills and provide real-world intelligence products to NGA partners that would otherwise 

need to be completed by regular NGA employees.

“From the agency’s perspective, we are working part 

of the production workload,” said Lt. Col. Michael F. 

Reidy, U.S. Army Reserve, the officer-in-charge of 

the Army detachment that works in support of targeting. 

Reidy said that it is good for the agency and also for the 

soldiers in that it gives them a chance to get great training and add value. “Soldiers don’t want to sit; they want 

to contribute, and that’s what we do here,” said Reidy.

Soldiers and sailors in the program do their two-week 

annual reserve training working in the NGA offices they 

support, often working on issues of high interest to U.S. 

policy makers. They also serve as watch officers at the 

NGA Command Center, participate in exercises on behalf 

of NGA, take training courses and support the Office of 

Geospatial Intelligence Management.

25Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

Reservists render vital services in pursuit of NGA missions.

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christina D. Ponte
26Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

Additionally, Army and Air Force reservists work at the 

Counterterrorism Airborne Analysis Center (CTAAC). Their 

mission is to develop products to provide situational 

awareness to warfighters in deployed areas about highvalue targets using real-time, full-motion video from 

Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) feeds. The center is staffed with NGA civilians and contract employees, 

as well as military personnel. According to an analyst 

who did a tour at CTAAC as a reservist, one’s ability, 

rather than rank or badge color, is all that matters.

An Air Force National Guard staff sergeant on a oneyear tour at CTAAC, who used to work with Global Hawk 

UAVs, stated, “I liked working Global Hawk for the Air 

Force, but here you get to see the end result of your 

work and the impact you are making to the mission.” A 

California Army National Guard soldier also on orders 

at CTAAC agreed. 

Trained as a human 

intelligence specialist, 

he had never worked 

with imagery before 

but had served a tour 

in the theater he was 

supporting. According 

to his branch chief, this 

soldier quickly picked 

up the necessary skills and knowledge he needed and 

became a big asset for his team. “There was a learning 

curve, but when someone from in-theater calls you to 

ask what you are seeing, you understand how important 

this is. I have been that guy on the ground, so I did whatever I could to become self-sufficient as fast as I could,” 

the soldier said.

Numerous NGA reservists have mobilized to support 

Global War on Terrorism missions, including a captain in 

the U.S. Navy Reserve who just completed a tour as the 

NGA lead in Iraq, and a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army 

Reserve who is the agency’s country lead in Afghanistan.

While some of the reservists work as NGA civilian 

employees in their regular jobs, the majority do not. The 

program allows former military imagery and geospatial 

Capt. Marshall Hudson

is an individual mobilization augmentee 

assigned to NGA’s Office of Military Support. 

In regular work he serves as a Staff Officer in the 

Office of Corporate Communications.

analysts who do not work for NGA to stay in the field 

of geospatial intelligence as reservists supporting the 

agency, which also creates a pool of qualified analysts 

for NGA. A sampling of three reservists found an analyst 

with an Intelligence Community agency who is grateful 

for the opportunity to broaden his skill set, another who 

works as a contract instructor at the NGA college and 

appreciates the opportunity to keep her skills current, 

and a third who works for the U.S. Postal Service and just 

enjoys the challenge of being an imagery analyst.

The newest mission for the reservists is a joint Army 

and Navy initiative to support “soft copy” search efforts 

in South America. According to Lt. Cmdr. Charles Maluzzi, 

the NGA Navy unit’s executive officer, this new mission 

is an important step forward for the reserve program 

because of the investment in training required by NGA 

and the trust the reservist’s full-time counterparts have 

shown in sharing the search mission. “It highlights the 

good reputation and relationships the program has built,” 

he said. Reserve leaders credit the success of the reserve 

program to the support it receives from NGA. From the 

support of the Director and the Military Executive, to the 

leadership of the Analysis and Production Directorate 

and other key components, to the cooperation of branch 

chiefs whose spaces the reservists fill, the NGA reserve 

program has received great assistance and support, allowing reservists to provide great support in return. 

Information on the NGA Military Reserve program can 

be found at www.nga.mil/reserve. 

Reservists contribute 

to NGA’s mission, as 

well as the nation’s 

defense and military 

readiness.
27Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008

Our Heritage

The Ho Chi Minh Trail 1970

The Mission is the Mother of Invention 

By Dr. Gary E. Weir

Was the sortie successful? The United States’ aerial 

effort in the 1970s to interdict the massive amounts of 

supplies rolling down the Ho Chi Minh Trail from North 

Vietnam needed regular and reliable evidence of success 

or failure. Did our mission succeed? That question needed 

a timely answer, daily.

Air Force and Navy reconnaissance aircraft routinely 

flew over the primary entry points into Vietnam from 

southern Laos at Tchepone and the Mu Gia and Ban 

Karai Passes. The road networks running north and south 

drew the camera’s attention at least once a week. The 

reconnaissance aircraft focused twice as often on the 

transit points into Vietnam and Cambodia from Laos. In 

early daylight, these flights sought to confirm the pilots’ 

visual estimate of the damage inflicted by night raids on 

North Vietnamese trucks running in near-dark conditions 

through Laos, down the trail to logistics staging areas 

and to truck parks serving as rest stops for continuing 

journeys. This reconnaissance effort sought to define both 

mission effectiveness and possible targets for the next 

day’s work. 

In spite of these assets, in 1970 the needed assessments did not come easily. In one case, the crew of 

an RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft flying early morning 

missions during the 1969-1970 dry season could confirm 

only seven of 103 trucks reported destroyed during the 

first six weeks after the intense rain ceased. Given the 

proven effectiveness of the AC-130 gunships and repeated 

pilot reports of success, the inability to verify the damage 

inflicted became a critical problem. Did the missions fail? 

Were the pilots mistaken? Did the North Vietnamese road 

crews clear the debris away and repair the bomb craters 

quickly enough to cover up any sign of the attack? 

Upon careful consideration, it seemed that the answer 

rested with the standard charts then in use by planners. 

In 1970, detailed and accurate charts of Laos proved hard 

to find. Photointerpreters gradually discovered that the 

maps and charts of Laos used for the Ho Chi Minh Trail 

interdiction missions, as well as other efforts, regularly 

demonstrated errors of a few thousand meters. If the 

RF-4C reconnaissance and assessment teams had been 

flying to flawed coordinates to monitor the effect of night 

missions accomplished just a few hours earlier, that 

would explain a great deal.

To address this problem, the Air Force introduced the 

long-range navigation (loran) system into the equation. 

Loran defines the location of any strike site by determining its distance from a known location via the elapsed 

time of a dedicated radio signal between two or more 

points—providing much greater precision. The promise of 

using loran led the Air Force and the Aeronautical Chart 

and Information Center (ACIC) in St. Louis, Mo., an NGA 

predecessor, to take this possible solution a step further. 

The cartographers at ACIC took high-altitude photographs 

of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and broke them into 

sections, 10 miles square. Loran-directed RF-4Cs photographed each block, and the cartographers transferred 

the loran data to a series of photo maps, combining the 

high altitude work with the need to have accurate maps 

and charts. 

The loran control points on the photomaps then went 

into a growing database along with other significant mission locations identified by the Air Force using those very 

same points. By 1971, the database became available for 

use at the 12th Reconnaissance Intelligence Technical 

Photo from The War Against Trucks, an official U.S. Air Force publication.

A truck park along the Ho Chi Minh Trail photographed by aircraft 

reconnaissance, c. 1968.
28Pathfinder ›› July/August 2008 

Squadron at Tan Son Nhut airbase near Saigon. With accurate fixed points both on the photomaps and retrievable 

from the computer, the reconnaissance squadron could 

within 45 minutes accurately confirm the location of any 

strike point along the trail with a radio fix that related that 

location to the nearest known loran control point.

With this available combination of talent and technology, the photointerpreters began working with forward air 

controllers to address the immediate needs of any mission in progress with the new loran-driven tools. The controllers would have the photomaps in hand, with a special 

grid superimposed. They provided the location of a target 

or a successful strike as portrayed on their photomap to 

the technical squadron at Tan Son Nhut, along with the 

information supplied by the grid. The technical squadron 

could then supply the pilot with his loran position, both 

for his purpose and to revisit the point of attack later for 

evaluation and lessons learned. 

Dr. Gary E. Weir

is the NGA Historian.

Necessity truly is the mother of invention. In this case, 

a powerful innovation emerged from a creative combination of tradecraft skill and technology. Over the jungles 

of Laos and Vietnam nearly four decades ago, advanced 

communications came together with the imagery skills of 

the photointerpreter and the deliberate precision of the 

cartographer to fulfill the critical mission needs of the moment. Therefore, for NGA today as well as for its predecessors, I say that the mission is the mother of invention. 

Photo from The War Against Trucks, an official U.S. Air Force publication. 

Aircraft reconnaissance captured this image of an open storage supply dump along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, c. 1968.

www.nga.mil