New NGA Director

Robert Cardillo will become the next director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon announced this morning.

Director Letitia Long will retire later this year after four years at the helm, according to the Defense Department statement:

"Tish Long and Robert Cardillo both have led the transformation of intelligence to address the complex global strategic challenges we face as a nation. They both have ensured intelligence is relevant to the needs of its important customers – from the president to the warfighter. I congratulate Tish on her successful tenure and very much look forward to having Robert's leadership and talent for the important work ahead at NGA,"said Dr. Mike Vickers, under secretary of defense for intelligence.

Long took the reins at NGA in August 2010. Under her leadership, the agency has shifted from providing static products, such as maps, to providing geospatial intelligence services that enable users to access information that provides "time and place" context in a variety of formats, in real time, for users on all security domains. The agency has developed the initial launch of its "Map of the World," which for the first time presents an integrated view of collection assets from across the intelligence community (IC); mapping information for military operations; geospatial intelligence observations; and NGA analytic products, data and models.

NGA was the first intelligence agency to join in open-source software development, making easily available its software that enables collaboration between first responders in natural disaster situations. The agency also has played a key role in the development of the intelligence community desktop environment, which ultimately will link together the tools and operating systems of users across the intelligence enterprise and enable better collaboration and faster, more robust intelligence products for decision makers.

Taken together, these and other initiatives will enable the next phase of intelligence, immersion, where analysts interact with data -- and each other -- in virtual, 3D, and cloud-enabled environments where information can be shared and examined from multiple angles, by multiple people, in real time.

Cardillo will formally succeed Long in October 2014, according to DOD.

Director of National Intelligence Robert Clapper issued his own statement:

Robert brought his leadership and professional expertise to bear on the most critical challenge the Intelligence Community has ever faced -- integrating the IC agencies and elements. He stepped into a new position we created, and as my deputy director for intelligence integration, has moved the IC forward as a community. At the same time, he has directly served the President as my principal designee for the President's Daily Brief. He is bringing this wealth of experience to the helm at NGA, and I expect NGA to continue on its rising trajectory under his leadership.