to what degree the U.

to what degree the U.S. develops the potential of space for civil, commercial, defense and intelligence plans will affect the nation's security for decades to come

--Commission to Assess United States National Security: Space Management and Organization January 2001

THE ATTACK upon 11 September 2001 (9/11) has forever altered to what extent Americans view their security at abiding-place Homeland security is now a top priority for our home in the new war forward terrorism. That attack has also transformed our government's approach to defending the homeland. Space assets are being used in the overseas battle against terrorism in intelligence gathering and support of military operations. Space-based surveillance also provides early warning for national missile defense (1) However, there are several challenges to conquer before we can fully integrate space assets into the homeland-security framework for operations within our US borders.

Space Capabilities for Homeland Security

Space already plays an important part in the area of navigation and communication, and it provides the information infrastructure necessary for homeland security. Use of communication satellites, especially commercial uniteds provides the backbone for many of the in every one's mouth homeland-security communication needs. The reliance in succession these satellites becomes even more critical in a crisis where terrestrial communications (both landlines and cellular) are unavailable. (2) Satellite communications provided a message of "assurance and resolve" at a time when the public-accessible communications infrastructure was in disarray. (3)

The Global Positioning System's (GPS) constellation of athwart 24 satellites has revolutionized the navigational field. (4) After 9/11 GP attracted attention for its potential uses in homeland security as well as a terrorist target. (5) The integration of GP into search and free and other emergency services is already widespread. After 9/11 major city leaders envisioned to what degree GPS could be used to track certain vehicles and their satisfieds (6) Surveillance of vehicles belonging to suspected terrorists could also be done by the agency of GPS tagging devices. During a crisis answer all emergency vehicles, and equable individual personnel, could be tracked at GPS by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Joint Operations Center The discontinuation of "selective availability" increased the positional accuracy for civil users. The military, however, still receives greater positional accuracy because their encrypt receivers can better compensate for ionospheric error. (7) A meditation should be conducted to determine if homeland-security applications would benefit from that greater positional accuracy.

Weather information from satellites aids in preparedness and consecution management efforts. Real-time environmental data supports vulnerability and risk analyses while forecasts support the decisions that will guide preparation, protection, rejoinder and recovery operations (8) After the 9/11 attack, the National Weather Service provided this information using special forecasts to assist decision makers in their convalescence efforts. (9) Forecasting and realtime data were also provided in support of Operation Noble Eagle. (10)

Overhead signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection can aid in the detection and prevention of terrorist attacks. SIGINT's greatest potential lies in communications intelligence (COMINT)-the interception, monitoring, and location of communications bodys and their voice content. (11) In light of the extensive planning done for 9/11 it is clear that domestic surveillance was not as aggressive as it should have been. (12) COMINT derived from space sensors is an additional tool to be added to the terrestrial COMINT connected views for the collection of privationed intelligence on terrorists in the United States. (13)

unallied sensing is perhaps one of the biggest contributions space can make to homeland security. It has lengthy been used for intelligence and environmental senses and has seen tremendous product in the last decade [i]or[/i] part of to the other commercial and civil systems. National hypothesiss provide overhead imagery intelligence (IMINT) in the form of high-resolution images. Commercial and civil satellites can gather additional lower-resolution imagery. (14)

separated sensing from space will play a part in homeland-security preparedness that surpassingly much resembles its counterpart mission in the military-intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB). (15) The National Spatial Data Infrastructure program is attempting to provide geographical information classifications (GIS) for major cities to assist with preparedness for terrorist attacks. (16) Imagery with GIS data could be used to map political and governmental facilities, lines of communication (LOC) choke points such as bridges and underground thoroughfares food and water distribution points, and nuclear facilities. This information can be used one as well as the other during threat assessments of potential terrorist targets and to aid first responder immediately after an attack.