Article Entry
31 May 2009
Comments:31
President Obama Did Not Know What The NGA Was??
Added by USGIF Category: Daily Intelligence Brief
In what we are calling truly astounding news, it was discovered that President Obama did not know what the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency was? How was this uncovered? During a stop off for burgers at Five Guys with members of the press, Obama happened to have an interaction with an NGA employee who was buying a burger there at the same time. And, President Obama actually asked “what is this National Geospatial…” Too hard too believe? Check out this C-SPAN video of the interaction. In addition, props to Politico.com for breaking this story. What do you all think about this?? Since many of us sleep, eat and breath GEOINT, we find this to be pretty shocking. Welcome all thoughts and feedback!
Tags: Five Guys, GEOINT, geospatial intelligence, National Geospatial, NGA, Satellites
For those that don’t want to watch the entire video, go to 5:48 on the C-Span video link (of the 8:44 clip) to hear the interchange between the two.
Maybe this will be a good opportunity for the Director of NGA or the DNI to brief the new POTUS on their capabilities and what they are doing for him and the nation every day!
nga never had any stroke and should have been dissolved a while ago, completely irrelevant
From Linked-In:
Big whoop. The President receives his daily PDB from his DNI briefer, and all intelligence is presented to him this way. He is not told specifically what is from NGA, what is from CIA or DIA, NSA, etc. How many presidents have we had that would be able to make all those distinctions. I’ve met many people from inside the IC that have yet to be able to grasp all those distinctions. I don’t see this as an issue as long as the message is getting across. I do hope, however, that by the end of his first term he would be much more familiar with the IC and its many entities and INTs.
I have been working IC for 25 years. Since NGA started, it has not been able to explain what they do. Besides, they keep leaving out one of their initials – NGIA.
From Linked-In:
The intel community does pride itself on anonymity.
I would think POTUS should know some of his largest agencies in his repertoire. (Especially when it comes to security and defense). Besides he was a senator for a little bit as well, right…..you think he might have known of their existence. Its not like NGA is CTU or something. USGIF…four years is a limited amount of time, you need to hit the ground running to be POTUS, its not like taking a typical job where you have some time to learn the ropes and ramp up. If he wasn’t ready to go perhaps the people should have recognized this and voted for some level of experience over change.
From Linked-In:
The guy has a lot to keep track of; cut him some slack. As a geographer and geospatial goddess I forgive him. ‘Truly astounding’ is a bit much, don’t you think?
From Linked-In:
Please send the article over to the Presiden’ts office so he can learn something about the NGA, about which he is obviously clueless.
http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2009/05/five-guys-three-letter-agency.html
Maybe he can find room for it on his iPod.
From Linked-In:
a good point… But the blame is not on the president rather on somebody else. Someone in the chain whom has failed to do his/her job by not putting together a streamlined Power point presentation for the president. I believe that he is smart enough to grasp the composition of the IC no matter how complicated its structure once he is presented with the information. Again, we may not know all the details. But I feel safer now than under Bush/Cheney. Take it for what is is worth.
From Linked-In:
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After four decades of GIS and interaction with the Federal government, I am not sure that I could remember the name if asked. It does not help at all that the chosen initials (NGA) do not match the actual name.
Some years ago a recruiter from that agency (whatever it was called then) was on campus. I asked for a card and she responded that she was out of them since they were only allowed to print a few at a time. When I asked why, she responded that it was due to the frequent changes in the names of internal units and the external name of the agency.
[...] he apparently wqas unsure of what the NGA was as he stopped in at a 5 Guys Burger for a bit to eat. From GotGeoint blog In what we are calling truly astounding news, it was discovered that President Obama did not know [...]
I like the poster that stated that he should’ve known it because he was a senator. He could’ve worked for the Yankees with that attendance record and not know what color their home jerseys were.
I am sure he gets his daily breifing like all before him and makes decisions based on it. That shouldn’t shock us!
You have to have some analysts somewhere along the line that know the real score and the fadct from fiction, b/c as we have seen over the last 2 decades, anyone can be elected President of our land, without any experience in virtually anything that pertains to the job.
Maybe he was hungry and was just being polite to the guy trying to talk to him. Personally all I’d be thinking about was getting my Bacon Cheeseburger and getting the heck out of there.
Maybe he can find room for it on his iPod.
Yeah. Uh-huh, because having an iPod is totally why the president didn’t know about this useless and redundant government agency. And some of us still wonder how 9/11 happened? With all 5,000 of our intelligence agencies not communicating with each other and doing the same tasks at the same time, can’t imagine how such a thing ever happened.
From Linked-In:
Guess what? Nobody knows what the NGA is. Nor should they. I’ve been in the space business for 20 years and never heard of it. I’m not saying that it isn’t important. But why should the President know about it? It is a small cog in a big machine.
From Linked-In:
Your sentiments and implied objectives for the POTUS are absolutely on-target. The refinement that I would offer is that the data procured by the NGA is a powerful tool for those who are informing and advising the POTUS and leaders below his echelon to make world-affecting decisions.
The advantages and utility of rapidly processed and oribitally collected GIS materials are nearly revolutionary compared to the situational awareness tools of the previous generation. A computer generated Common Operating Picture (COP) is so far beyond paper maps and plastic overlays that to a novice observer it could be science fiction.
NGA is not a decision-making organization. As Matt wrote, they are a “combat support” agency, meaning they provide products and services that support the warfighters and national civilian leadershi
Why are people STILL so surprised to find out what a DOPE this guy Obama is? The whole “he’s so intelligent” line was a marketing promo, a packaging decision. He is massively ignorant – of how to govern, how to run ANYTHING, who and what America is, what the government is charged with doing. He doesn’t even know that his job definition is to protect and defend the Constitution he serves! (and all that Constitutional knowledge you’d think he’d have after supposedly teaching it?…why does he keep getting it wrong?) He thinks his job is to own auto companies, take over banks, dictate to Americans a socialist revamp of the country, kill jobs, give the money to is buddies at the UAW and the criminal organization of ACORN.
Why are you still so surprised?
From Linked-In:
I find it shocking. Found out about it today from a woman in my training class who works at the NGA. She confirmed the story. She was at the Five Guy’s near the Washington Navy Yard when it happened. Her co-worker was the one that told Obama that he/she worked at the NGA. Oh well.
From Linked-In:
I don’t know why this is surprising. Mr. Obama was a senator and now he’s the president. Someone hands him intelligence that has been analyzed and processed and they show him what it means. I’m pretty sure he’s not worried who got paid to do it when he’s looking at a North Korean nuclear weapons facility with a stockpile of bombs out front.
From Facebook:
The flip side would be, what if he had said, “Now tell me exactly what this ‘Central Intelligence’…”? Most would assume that he was just making conversation; why can’t the same assumption be made about NGA?
NGA may be something of a lesser-known agency, but it is still a major DOD combat support agency. Even so, one could argue that the President doesn’t need to instantly recognize it by name to successfully consume its services.
But of course, the million dollar question: what would the reaction be if this were President Bush?
From Linked-In:
And do you know everything about everything. He has the economy, foreign affairs, war, military, bail outs, and a plethora of other things to get involved with. Did you know everything about your job in 6 months?
From Linked-In:
Given what I have witnessed with my own two eyes, President Obama’s incredible talent for remembering names, I am confident that he will not forget NGIA for the rest of his presidency. I suggest patience will be rewarded. I met the first National CIO Vivek Kundra at the May NGAT meeting. Way long on tech, a little short on policy, this guy is real, no political hack.
From Linked-In
Give me a break! You guys act like he is an intern or something. He is the President of the United States…and before that he was a Senator. I think he has had enough time to figure out the AGENCIES of the Federal Government, all I am saying. Slips happen, i get it, 58 states…an eight and a zero can look alike on a sheet of paper (or teleprompter) in real time. But this you cant let slide…he better focus on governing and less on remembering Joe Blows name!
Still not clear what the NGA does? I think it is just another sign we have too many agencies, time to merge and reduce # of gov’t employees. From what I read it is implied they help with intelligience, so yet another intelligence group that failed us from 9/11 to war in Iraq.
Considering the fact that NGA also stands for National Governers Association, which he would have more direct exposure to as opposed to one of many intel agencies, I think the President of the United States deserves a break. Do you have ANY idea how many acronymed government entities/agencies there are? Do you honestly expect the President to remember them ALL on the fly?
It is not surprising. A certain three-letter intelligence agency in Northern Virginia conveniently fails to mention that the imagery and geospatial intelligence shown to the President are produced by someone else. NGA is a threat to their monopoly on information. As long as the President’s intelligence briefings are controlled by the organization in Northern Virginia, NGA will not receive the visibility with policymakers that it needs.
People, I don’t expect Pres. Obama to remember all org. acronyms. Especially the ones that have no clear mission (as it seems by the numerous comments) or value. This “breaking news” is another piece of cheap sensationalism and finger-pointing.
Are people serious to think that being the president and NOT knowing one of the MAJOR Intel agencies is RIDICULOUS? He wanted the job he MUST know who does the work. PERIOD! To give excuses and to actually BLAME others for him NOT knowing just blows my mind. This indeed is WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE COUNTRY TODAY! We are being sold and have been for a VERY long time…we are ALLOWING the blatent dislike of the US, capitalism and the Constitution.
It is time Americans wake up and what is worse….we have those in the IC who actually think this is fine. AMAZING!
It was the POLITICAL hacks that FAILED us on 911—-much like they tie the hands of our military actually fighting this war on the ground they did and continue to tie the hands of the IC.
Obama cannot remember anything, except what he was taught in the MARXIST lifestyle. His teleprompters are his words PERIOD!
I am shocked at this…sadly with some understanding. NGA is not obscure, yet not everyone knows very much about them. That is fine…but NOT for the President. The point is that everyone uncomfortable with him is afraid of his lack of awareness or slanted view of reality…about A LOT of things! I don’t know the tax code, but I sure know about the IRS. I don’t know every gun law, but I know about the ATF. I wouldn’t recognize ecstasy pills, but I sure know who the DEA is. The President doesn’t need to know all the details, but he @#$% sure better know who provides them to him! If you don’t think NGA is relevant, you are entitled to your opinion. But at least let that be an informed opinion. I bet the Obama apologists writing here don’t know much about NGA either (very apparent for some of you), but if you or Obama aren’t going to find out a little bit about the truth, then your future complaints about “government failures” spring from ignorance and hold no weight. I bet 90% of those who complain about the “out-of-fasion” War on Terror couldn’t find Afghanistan on a world map if their life depended on it. Those of you who care, call NGA. They have the maps. Those of you who don’t care, call North Korea. They love people like you. In fact, they’re counting on you.