NATO AGS

The NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program, represented by Program Element (PE) 0305238F in the Air Force budget, is a United States contribution to NATO's integrated airborne ground surveillance capability. The primary objective of this program is to provide NATO with continuous, wide-area surveillance in all weather conditions. This enhances situational awareness for decision-makers regarding friendly, neutral, and opposing ground and maritime forces. The capability supports mission planning, execution, force protection, and targeting, and is accessible to all NATO nations, promoting burden sharing in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data processing and exploitation.

The AGS system includes both air and ground segments. The air segment is comprised of five air vehicles based on exportable configurations of the U.S. Air Force Global Hawk airframe, incorporating Navy Triton command and control architecture and the U.S. Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar. The U.S. integrated a new Maritime Moving Target and Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar capability into the MP-RTIP radar specifically for NATO AGS. The ground segment consists of both fixed and mobile ground stations, which provide command and control (C2) for the air vehicles, as well as facilities for data exploitation and distribution.

The Technical Support for NATO AGS line item is the primary focus of current and planned funding. This support encompasses engineering and logistics assistance for deferred capabilities and obsolescence studies, ensuring the AGS system remains operationally relevant and secure. In FY 2025 and FY 2026, the program funds ongoing studies, analysis, and support related to mission security and exportability. The U.S. also supports NATO AGS participation in NATO's UNIFIED VISION series, which are key exercises for validating and improving ISR capabilities across the alliance.

The Design and Development of NATO AGS line item previously supported U.S. contributions to system-level configuration changes and air vehicle exportability modifications. No funding is programmed for this activity in FY 2025 or FY 2026, reflecting the completion of initial acquisition and fielding phases. The NATO AGS acquisition was executed via a fixed price direct commercial sale contract with Northrop Grumman Integrated System Sector International, and the NATO acquisition program office was closed out in December 2023.

Operations and ongoing in-service support for AGS are funded through the NATO Military Commanders' Capability Package within the NATO Security Investment Program (NSIP), rather than through this U.S. program element. The U.S. funding in PE 0305238F is focused specifically on technical support, studies, and engineering analysis, rather than on operational sustainment or procurement of new systems. Civilian pay expenses are not currently programmed within this element, as those are budgeted elsewhere.

The AGS program is categorized under Budget Activity 7, Operational Systems Development, as it supports development efforts to upgrade systems that have already been fielded or approved for full-rate production. The focus is on maintaining and enhancing the operational effectiveness of the AGS system through technical studies and engineering support, rather than on new system development or procurement.