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Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§442 Missions

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART I — ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS › CHAPTER 22 — NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY › SUBCHAPTER I — MISSIONS AND AUTHORITY › § 442

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency must give geospatial intelligence to support U.S. national security. That means it provides pictures, analysis of images, and location-based data. As the Director of National Intelligence directs, the agency must build a system to bring photos, videos, and presentations from ground sources — including handheld or covert photos collected by human-intelligence teams or found in open sources — into the national geospatial system. The agency cannot control the tasking of those handheld or covert photos. All geospatial intelligence must be timely, relevant, and accurate. The agency must also help safe navigation by supplying accurate location information for federal users, the merchant marine, and other navigators under the Secretary of Defense. It must create and share maps, aeronautical and nautical charts, books, datasets, and other geographic data products. It may build and run systems to process and share imagery and geospatial data for the military and other federal agencies. The agency must help the Joint Chiefs, combatant commands, and military departments set and confirm mapping, charting, and navigation needs, and then provide products that meet those validated needs.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §442

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)National Security Missions.—
(1)The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency shall, in support of the national security objectives of the United States, provide geospatial intelligence consisting of the following:
(A)Imagery.
(B)Imagery intelligence.
(C)Geospatial information.
(2)(A)As directed by the Director of National Intelligence, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency shall develop a system to facilitate the analysis, dissemination, and incorporation of likenesses, videos, and presentations produced by ground-based platforms, including handheld or clandestine photography taken by or on behalf of human intelligence collection organizations or available as open-source information, into the National System for Geospatial Intelligence.
(B)The authority provided by this paragraph does not include authority for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to manage tasking of handheld or clandestine photography taken by or on behalf of human intelligence collection organizations.
(3)Geospatial intelligence provided in carrying out paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be timely, relevant, and accurate.
(b)Navigation Information.—
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency shall improve the means for safe navigation by providing, under the authority of the Secretary of Defense, accurate geospatial information for use by the departments and agencies of the United States, the merchant marine, and navigators generally.
(c)Maps, Charts, Etc.—
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency shall acquire, prepare, and distribute maps, safe-for-navigation charts and datasets, books, and geomatics products as authorized under subchapter II of this chapter.
(d)National Missions.—
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also has national missions as specified in section 110(a) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3045(a)).
(e)Systems.—
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency may, in furtherance of a mission of the Agency, design, develop, deploy, operate, and maintain systems related to the processing and dissemination of imagery intelligence and geospatial information that may be transferred to, accepted or used by, or used on behalf of— (1)
(2)any other department or agency of the United States.
(f)Validation.—
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency shall assist the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commands, and the military departments in establishing, coordinating, consolidating, and validating mapping, charting, geomatics data, and safety of navigation capability requirements through a formal process governed by the Joint Staff. Consistent with validated requirements, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency shall provide aeronautical and nautical charts that are safe for navigation, maps, books, datasets, models, and geomatics products.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1621(a)(1), substituted “the means for safe navigation” for “means of navigating vessels of the Navy and the merchant marine” and “geospatial information for use by the departments and agencies of the United States, the merchant marine, and navigators generally.” for “and inexpensive nautical charts, sailing directions, books on navigation, and manuals of instructions for the use of all vessels of the United States and of navigators generally.” Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1621(a)(2), substituted “shall acquire, prepare, and” for “shall prepare and”, “safe-for-navigation charts and datasets” for “charts”, and “geomatics” for “geodetic”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1621(a)(3), added subsec. (f). 2014—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 113–291 substituted “(50 U.S.C. 3045(a))” for “(50 U.S.C. 404e(a))”. 2010—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 111–259, § 432(2), added par. (2). Former par. (2) redesignated (3). Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 111–259, § 432(1), (3), redesignated par. (2) as (3) and substituted “paragraphs (1) and (2)” for “paragraph (1)”. 2003—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 108–136, § 921(c)(1)(A), (d)(2)(A), in introductory provisions, substituted “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency” for “National Imagery and Mapping Agency” and inserted “geospatial intelligence consisting of” after “provide”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 108–136, § 921(c)(1)(B), substituted “Geospatial intelligence” for “Imagery, intelligence, and information”. Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 108–136, § 921(d)(2)(A), substituted “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency” for “National Imagery and Mapping Agency”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 108–136, § 921(d)(2)(A), (f), substituted “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency” for “National Imagery and Mapping Agency” and “section 110(a) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 404e(a))” for “section 120(a) of the National Security Act of 1947”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 108–136, § 921(d)(2)(A), substituted “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency” for “National Imagery and Mapping Agency” in introductory provisions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1996, see section 1124 of Pub. L. 104–201, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1996 Amendment note under section 193 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 442

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110