WASHINGTON — U.S. Space Force operators will be responsible for flying a new fleet of satellites that will monitor ground targets in near-real time virtually anywhere in the world, a senior official said Feb. 13.
This network of satellites, known as Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI), is being developed by the National Reconnaissance Office in partnership with the Space Force. These sensors in space would give commanders on the ground persistent video-like surveillance capabilities that in the past were provided by aircraft such as the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS).
The Air Force stopped flying JSTARS due to its vulnerability in modern warfare scenarios and the Pentagon instead is investing in a network of satellites, other aircraft sensors and ground radars, all contributing to a broader picture of the battlefield.
Although the NRO has a central role in the design and development of the GMTI constellation, the Space Force will be the lead operator of the system, said the deputy chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt.
Space Force guardians will directly task and control where the satellites point their sensors based on requests from regional combatant commanders, Burt said during a panel discussion at the Air & Space Force Association’s Warfare Conference in Aurora, Colorado.
While the NRO is partnering with the Space Force and will have access to the data from GMTI, Burt emphasized that the military chain of command will drive the program based on priorities approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.
But she added that “guardians will fly that satellite shoulder to shoulder with the National Reconnaissance Office to provide those capabilities. So there is a definite partnership there with the intelligence community.”
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