NGA Readies Project Aegir for Commercial Solutions to Monitor Indo-Pacific Maritime Threats

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has initiated its first commercial solutions opening to find and track hostile maritime activities in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility. Designed to usher in Project Aegir, a planned major acquisition program, the CSO is taking a multi-vendor approach and would require the participants to collectively develop a commercial sensor system for monitoring illicit maritime movement in the region. 

Interested parties have until May 24 to submit their responses, after which the shortlisted vendors will present their capabilities at the Defense Innovation Unit headquarters in Mountain View, California, from June 24 to 28, the NGA said Monday.

The participating vendors will organize teams to develop tasking algorithms for operating multiple sensors, perform data analysis and supply unclassified intelligence on INDOPACOM maritime threats. The capabilities of the selected vendor or group of vendors will be tested in a $1.5 million pilot program, which if successful, will roll out Project Aegir as a major undertaking, the agency added. 

Devin Brande, NGA commercial operations director and a speaker at a past Potomac Officers Club event, described the project as a significant step in the agency’s ongoing programs to strengthen maritime security and combat illegal activities in the Indo-Pacific waters. The commercial sector can accelerate automation for a more rapid intelligence gathering to enable INDOPACOM to “stay ahead of evolving global security threats,” he said.

Steve Butow, DIU space portfolio director and also a speaker at a Potomac Officers Club past event, underscored the project as another collaborative effort of the NGA and DIU, demonstrating the spirit of the Department of Defense’s recently released Commercial Space Integration Strategy.