Joint Tactical Ground Station

The Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) is the United States Space Force's element to United States Strategic Command's Theater Event System (TES). TES provides an integrated, in-theater, 24-hour overhead non-imaging infrared detection capability for processing and disseminating missile early warning, alerting, and cueing information data to combatant commanders and missile defense assets through the use of stereo processing of the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite data.^[1]

Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS)
Joint Tactical Ground Station at Osan Air Base
Active	1992 –
Country	United States
Headquarters	Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) is the Space Force's primary system that provides space based integrated, in-theater missile warning. It provides continuous processing of overhead non-imaging infrared (ONIR) data that is directly down linked from the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite constellation. This data is used to provide near real-time dissemination of warning, alerting and cueing information, to combatant commanders (CCDRs) and ballistic missile defense systems (BMDS), on ballistic missile threats for the protection of military assets, civilian populations, and geopolitical centers. This dissemination is accomplished by using existing communication networks such as the Integrated Broadcast Service (IBS) and Link 16.^[2]

JTAGS Mission

"(U) Receive and process in-theater, direct down-linked data from OPIR (Overhead Persistent Infrared) Sensors in order to disseminate warning, alerting and cueing information on tactical ballistic missiles and other events of interest throughout the theater using existing communication networks."^[3]

JTAGS Organization

The Joint Tactical Ground Station Theater Missile Warning system was organized under the 1st Space Company (JTAGS), with 4 forward-stationed Detachments in Europe, CENTCOM, Korea, and Japan. The 1st Space Company fell under the 1st Space Battalion, under the 1st Space Brigade, part of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command^{[4][circular reference]}

In 2023, the element and its early warning systems were transferred to the control of the United States Space Force's Space Delta 4.^[5] They are to eventually become a reborn 5th Space Warning Squadron.

See also

• Theater Event System
• Defense Support Program
• Space Based Infrared System

References

1. High Frontier Journal, Vol 4, No. 1: "The Army's Space Cadre" Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
2. FM 3-14.5 Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) Operations
3. 1st Space Company (JTAGS) approved mission statement
4. United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command
5. Unshin Lee Harpley (5 Oct 2023) Space Force Takes Over JTAGS Mission from the Army Joint Tactical Ground Station missile warning system detachments in Italy, Qatar, South Korea, and Japan

External links

• Space Based InfraRed System (SBIRS)