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In the next five years, only be seven of NASA’s 13 earth monitoring satellites will be operational, which will leave a crucial information gap that will hinder our national security planning, according to the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). The newly released CNAS report, Blinded: The Decline of U.S. Earth Monitoring Capabilities and Its Consequences for National Security, also showcases how the U.S. depends on satellite systems for managing the unconventional challenges of the 21st century in ways that are rarely acknowledged.

According to the report, here are some of the capabilities that could be compromised by 2016:

- The Department of Defense relying on earth monitoring satellites for up-to-date weather conditions and forecasting.

- The State Department addressing environment-focused foreign policy priorities such as Arctic issues, climate change, ocean policy and resource scarcity using earth-monitoring systems.

The report also highlights that while the U.S. government should replace the earth monitoring systems now in decline, the current political and fiscal environments make it less likely for Congress to appropriate funds to support these programs.

The authors of the paper recommended that, “policymakers use existing systems more efficiently, improve information sharing among interagency partners and leverage international partners’ investments in their own systems in order to boost U.S. climate and environmental data collection capabilities.”

View the full report here.

Tags: Center for New American Security, CNAS, CNAS Report on Satellites, CNAS Satellites and National Security, GEOINT, Satellites, The Decline of U.S. Earth Monitoring Capabilities and Its Consequences for National Security, USGIF