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our ocean gravity holdings, have been declassified when the 

 benefits to the civil sector far outweigh the potential threat to 

 the U.S. in use by an enemy. 



3. We've heard a lot of concerns recently about the quality of 

 NOAA's charts and the fact that much data was gathered long ago 

 using obsolete technology. Are the maps produced by NOAA of 

 sufficient quality for defense use? 



NOAA charts are sufficient for the purpose of safe sea navigation 

 by Navy ships which follow normal lines of transit along the U.S. 

 coasts and for the ingress and egress to U.S. ports. In other 

 cases, such as the where the Q.E.II grounded, charts are not 

 adequate for our deeper draft ships, and modern surveys are 

 absolutely required. Perhaps more urgent, however, are the 

 requirements stemming from the Navy's new focus on littoral 

 warfare. It demands much denser, and a greater variety of, data 

 than is now on NOAA charts or available in their data archives in 

 those areas where training is to take place. Further, the Navy's 

 distributed home porting of major ships requires tidal current 

 forecasts much improved over those now available from NOAA in 

 selected ports. 



4 . You said that DMA will always ask NOAA first to chart waters 

 under its jurisdiction. Is NOAA usually able to respond? What is 

 the reason usually given when they cannot do a job? 



DMA has requested NOAA to provide surveys or current studies 

 several times in recent years. The response has generally been 

 that their resources do not allow them to respond, and that 

 reimbursement would be required. I can cite three recent 

 examples : 



a. In 1990, DMA forwarded a requirement to NOAA for better 

 charts off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, to support Navy amphibious 

 training. NOAA's response was that the project had insufficient 

 priority for NOAA to shift its survey assets since no commercial 

 requirements existed for the area of interest. Navy conducted the 

 survey off Vieques, and DMA produced the training chart. 



b. In 1991, DMA forwarded requirements to NOAA for larger 

 scale chart coverage of the Aleutians, highlighting the data 

 deficiencies of the area. NOAA responded that it hoped to bring 

 two ships out of its inactive fleet to conduct the hydrographic 

 surveys. However, NOAA did not allocate funding. Currently, no 

 surveys are planned to support safe use of the Aleutians by naval 

 forces . 



c. In 1993, DMA identified to NOAA the need for detailed 

 bathymetry to support new charting needs for the conduct of safe, 

 shallow water training for tactical nuclear submarines within the 

 U.S. East Coast Exclusive Economic Zone. NOAA advised DMA that 

 all of its hydrographic and bathymetric resources had been 

 allocated for Fiscal Year 1993. Further, NOAA advised that it had 



