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Spymaster | United States
New US space intelligence chief faces challenge of Trump's beloved Space Force

Subscribers only By Raphaël Ramos

Published on 06.02.2026 at 05:00 GMT 4 min read Lire en français

General Michele H. Bredenkamp assumed command of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), on 5 November 2025. © Operation 2021/Alamy banque d'images

Three-star general Michele Bredenkamp, who has spent her career in intelligence, has taken over an agency faced with an increasingly ambitious Space Force.

In taking up her new job as head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) on 5 November, Major General Michele Bredenkamp benefited from the springboard that the position of DAMA (Director's Adviser for Military Affairs) usually provides. By parting ways with director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the US Army officer also left behind an environment marked by the growing marginalisation of the former Democratic lawmaker within President Donald Trump's administration.

Bredenkamp

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Spymaster | United States
New US space intelligence chief faces challenge of Trump's beloved Space Force