Witnesses underline NOAA–DOD interdependence; Space Force, DMSP and JCSDA flagged as key elements
January 14, 2026 | Science, Space, and Technology: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal
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Witnesses from the Air Force and Navy told the House subcommittee that operational military missions depend on NOAA's observations and that interagency mechanisms are central to sustaining continuity.
Colonel Brian (Air Force chief of weather operations division) said NOAA operates the hub of the World Meteorological Organization global information system and called the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) a "conduit" for moving observations into operational models. He told the panel the JCSDA brings subject‑matter experts together to speed onboarding of new technologies into forecasting models.
Dr. Christopher Ekstrom (deputy oceanographer and navigator, U.S. Navy) emphasized that “over two thirds of the data ingested into the Navy forecast system originates from external sources and is provided by or through NOAA,” and described formal memoranda that avoid duplication while allowing the Navy to apply NOAA products to navigation and undersea acoustic predictions.
Members pressed operational continuity questions. The chair and others discussed DMSP, noting it is scheduled to go offline in September 2026; witnesses said DMSP termination raised public concern and that the family of systems includes NOAA, DOD, and international partners. When asked whether DOD would assume responsibility for an early morning low‑Earth‑orbit slot, witnesses repeatedly directed technical or solution questions to the United States Space Force as the responsible organization.
On transfers, NOAA's Irene Parker clarified that when NOAA transfers legacy GOES satellites to DOD, the department reimburses NOAA for operations and maintenance but not for launch costs: “our reimbursable agreement is only for the operations and maintenance cost.”
The witnesses said they will continue working through JCSDA and other interagency arrangements to preserve continuity and to calibrate and validate shared data flows such as WSFM (the DOD weather follow‑on microwave program), which NOAA said it has obtained and used in recent hurricane forecasting.
Colonel Brian (Air Force chief of weather operations division) said NOAA operates the hub of the World Meteorological Organization global information system and called the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) a "conduit" for moving observations into operational models. He told the panel the JCSDA brings subject‑matter experts together to speed onboarding of new technologies into forecasting models.
Dr. Christopher Ekstrom (deputy oceanographer and navigator, U.S. Navy) emphasized that “over two thirds of the data ingested into the Navy forecast system originates from external sources and is provided by or through NOAA,” and described formal memoranda that avoid duplication while allowing the Navy to apply NOAA products to navigation and undersea acoustic predictions.
Members pressed operational continuity questions. The chair and others discussed DMSP, noting it is scheduled to go offline in September 2026; witnesses said DMSP termination raised public concern and that the family of systems includes NOAA, DOD, and international partners. When asked whether DOD would assume responsibility for an early morning low‑Earth‑orbit slot, witnesses repeatedly directed technical or solution questions to the United States Space Force as the responsible organization.
On transfers, NOAA's Irene Parker clarified that when NOAA transfers legacy GOES satellites to DOD, the department reimburses NOAA for operations and maintenance but not for launch costs: “our reimbursable agreement is only for the operations and maintenance cost.”
The witnesses said they will continue working through JCSDA and other interagency arrangements to preserve continuity and to calibrate and validate shared data flows such as WSFM (the DOD weather follow‑on microwave program), which NOAA said it has obtained and used in recent hurricane forecasting.
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