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.

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.