{"id":8129,"date":"2025-05-23T14:59:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T19:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/?p=8129"},"modified":"2025-05-23T15:02:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T20:02:45","slug":"eyes-everywhere-u-s-space-militarization-deepens-with-new-nga-pact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/eyes-everywhere-u-s-space-militarization-deepens-with-new-nga-pact\/","title":{"rendered":"Eyes Everywhere: U.S. Space Militarization Deepens with New NGA Pact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"\">As the world reckons with accelerating climate change, humanitarian crises, and the urgent need for international cooperation, the U.S. government continues to deepen its investment in space militarization. On May 21, 2025, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nga.mil\/\" title=\"\">National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)<\/a><\/strong> and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/\" title=\"\">U.S. Space Force<\/a><\/strong> signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) outlining their roles in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssc.spaceforce.mil\/Newsroom\/Article-Display\/Article\/3791948\/space-force-leverages-commercial-data-analytics-to-aid-combatant-commands-in-ne\" title=\"\">tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking (TacSRT)<\/a><\/strong> operations. This move further cements space as a militarized domain, relying heavily on commercial imagery and private-sector analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">At first glance, the agreement might appear efficient\u2014even pragmatic. Both agencies will now share imagery and analytic resources to avoid duplication, with a shared goal of supporting U.S. combatant commands (COCOMs). But beneath this \u201cindustrial-strength collaboration\u201d is a worrying signal: the increasing normalization of global surveillance and military coordination in space, often without public oversight, accountability, or ethical debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u270d\ufe0f What Is TacSRT\u2014and Why Should We Be Concerned about Space Militarization?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">TacSRT, or <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssc.spaceforce.mil\/Newsroom\/Article-Display\/Article\/3791948\/space-force-leverages-commercial-data-analytics-to-aid-combatant-commands-in-ne\" title=\"\">tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking<\/a><\/strong>, is the rapid collection and delivery of space-based imagery and data to military decision-makers. Initially developed as a pilot project by the Space Force, TacSRT has expanded to support not only U.S. military missions, but also humanitarian operations in Colombia and Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">On the surface, such efforts may seem benign or even benevolent. But when viewed in the broader context of U.S. defense priorities\u2014where militarized \u201csolutions\u201d are prioritized over diplomacy and development\u2014they raise serious questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/2019\/11\/15\/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information\/\" title=\"\">Who controls this data\u2014and how is it being used?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cyberlaw.ccdcoe.org\/wiki\/Use_of_force\" title=\"\">What safeguards exist to prevent misuse, particularly against civilians?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/Are we investing in long-term peace and resilience, or just faster ways to surveil and respond with force?\" title=\"\">Are we investing in long-term peace and resilience, or just faster ways to surveil and respond with force?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udef0\ufe0f The Private Sector\u2019s Expanding Role in Space Militarization<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Much of the imagery feeding into TacSRT is sourced from commercial vendors like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.maxar.com\/\" title=\"\">Maxar Technologies<\/a><\/strong>, a leading provider of high-resolution satellite images. This public-private entanglement further blurs the line between commerce and militarism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What does it mean when defense agencies outsource their eyes in the sky? It creates a system where the profitability of private firms may align more closely with military conflict than with peace or transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"GEOINT 2025 | Day 3 Recap from St. Louis Gateway Arch\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MeNFgV9VCtA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f What Could These Resources Be Used For Instead?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While NGA and Space Force leaders emphasize operational \u201cefficiency,\u201d this collaboration exemplifies a troubling trend: increasing investment in warfighting capabilities\u2014meanwhile, domestic needs like healthcare, education, housing, and climate resilience remain underfunded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Imagine what $1 billion invested in space-based humanitarian solutions\u2014without military oversight\u2014could do for global disaster preparedness. Imagine a system where data gathered from orbit is governed by international cooperation and peace agreements rather than combatant commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83d\udce3 Our Take: We Must Demilitarize Space<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/\" title=\"\">Peace Economy Project<\/a> calls on Congress, civil society, and international allies to demand <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/press.un.org\/en\/2023\/gadis3722.doc.htm\" title=\"\">transparency, accountability, and demilitarization in space policy<\/a><\/strong>. Militarizing orbit is not inevitable\u2014it\u2019s a policy choice, and it\u2019s one we must challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">We urge citizens to question the normalization of global surveillance and to advocate for investments in <strong>peaceful space exploration, science, diplomacy, and community-centered security.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Join the conversation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\ud83d\udcc6 <em>Tuesday, July 8, 2025 \u2013 5:00 PM EST<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f <em>From Fireworks to Firepower: Rethinking National Security This Independence Day<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_OVI36tp3Tkq5NRG5dPfa-Q\" title=\"\">Register here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Let\u2019s rethink how security is defined\u2014from the ground to the stars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Space Force and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) formalize their agreement on surveillance, a new era of space militarization accelerates. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[416,414,413,399,415],"class_list":["post-8129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-geoint","tag-nga","tag-space-militarization","tag-surveillance-state","tag-u-s-space-force"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pasqualino-capobianco-eBtq_0-LNPc-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8131,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8129\/revisions\/8131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}