--- kind: "section" citation: "10 U.S.C. § 442" title: "10" title_heading: "Armed Forces" number: "442" heading: "Missions" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/442" units: - "Subtitle A — General Military Law" - "Part I — Organization and General Military Powers" - "Chapter 22 — National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency" - "Subchapter I — Missions and Authority" --- # §442. Missions - (a) **National Security Missions.—** - (1) The National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) shall, in support of the [national security](/usc/10/801.md?p=16) objectives of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1), provide [geospatial intelligence](/usc/10/467.md?p=5) consisting of the following: - (A) [Imagery](/usc/10/467.md?p=2-A). - (B) [Imagery intelligence](/usc/10/467.md?p=3). - (C) [Geospatial information](/usc/10/467.md?p=4). - (2) - (A) As directed by the Director of National Intelligence, the National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) 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](/usc/10/467.md?p=5). - (B) The authority provided by this paragraph does not include authority for the National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) to manage tasking of handheld or clandestine photography taken by or on behalf of human intelligence collection organizations. - (3) [Geospatial intelligence](/usc/10/467.md?p=5) provided in carrying out paragraphs [(1)](#a-1) and [(2)](#a-2) shall be timely, relevant, and accurate. - (b) **Navigation Information.—** The National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) shall improve the means for safe navigation by providing, under the authority of the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense, accurate [geospatial information](/usc/10/467.md?p=4) for use by the [departments](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) and [agencies](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1), the merchant marine, and navigators generally. - (c) **Maps, Charts, Etc.—** The National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) 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](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) also has national missions as specified in section 110(a) of the National Security Act of 1947 ([50 U.S.C. 3045(a)](/usc/50/3045.md?p=a)). - (e) **Systems.—** The National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) may, in furtherance of a mission of the [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3), design, develop, deploy, operate, and maintain systems related to the processing and dissemination of [imagery intelligence](/usc/10/467.md?p=3) and [geospatial information](/usc/10/467.md?p=4) that may be transferred to, accepted or used by, or used on behalf of— - (1) the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4), including any combatant command, [component](/usc/10/3011.md?p=13) of a combatant command, joint task force, or tactical unit; or - (2) any other [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) or [agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) of the [United States](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-1). - (f) **Validation.—** The National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) shall assist the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commands, and the [military departments](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-8) in establishing, coordinating, consolidating, and validating mapping, charting, geomatics data, and safety of navigation [capability requirements](/usc/10/3101.md?p=2) through a formal process governed by the Joint Staff. Consistent with validated requirements, the National Geospatial-Intelligence [Agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) shall provide aeronautical and nautical charts that are safe for navigation, maps, books, datasets, models, and geomatics products. ## Source credit (Added Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title XI, § 1112(a)(2), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2678; amended Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title IX, § 921(c)(1), (d)(2)(A), (f), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1568, 1570; Pub. L. 111–259, title IV, § 432, Oct. 7, 2010, 124 Stat. 2732; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title X, § 1071(c)(6), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3509; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVI, § 1621(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4052.) ## Notes ### 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.