After World War II, the Military Geology Unit of the U.S. Geological Survey was transformed into the Military Geology Branch, which recruited about 150 younger scientists over time to continue the compilation of terrain intelligence on a global scale. Source materials were the scientific journals, books, maps, and photographs available in the Washington area, and most topics were presented on maps accompanied by succinct tables and short narrative texts. The following principal administrative units and research programs evolved: (1) Strategic Studies Section (1945–1972; funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and later by the Defense Intelligence Agency) was the major production unit. Its principal responsibility was to contribute to the comprehensive small-scale National Intelligence Surveys Program. Another significant section effort included the Pacific Engineer Intelligence Program, which involved the compilation in Washington of seven series of 1:250,000-scale thematic maps for most of Southeast Asia. (2) Pacific Field Program (1945–1962; Corps of Engineers) was a research and mapping program in areas formerly occupied by Japan. (3) Alaska Terrain and Permafrost Section (1947–1965; Corps of Engineers and U.S. Geological Survey) conducted field studies on surficial geology and permafrost phenomena in Alaska and other Arctic areas and compiled reports with maps and engineering interpretations, most at a 1:250,000 scale of Alaska. (4) European Field Program, principally undertaken by the U.S.G.S. Team (Europe) (1953–1964; U.S. Army Europe), published a series of 24 1:250,000-scale maps of military engineering geology for western Germany and 131 1:100,000-scale maps of cross-country movement for all of Germany, and the team served as a consultant. (5) Austere Landing-Site Program (1956–1970; U.S. Air Force) compiled large-scale studies on arid lands, both inside and outside the United States and on Arctic ice-free land. (6) Special Intelligence Element (established 1959; Corps of Engineers and Defense Intelligence Agency) continues to serve as geoscientific consultants to the special intelligence community. (7) Nuclear-Test Detection Program (principally 1962–1972; Advanced Research Projects Agency) compiled studies assisting in the interpretation of global seismic signals, particularly the five-volume 1:5,000,000-scale Atlas of Asia and Eastern Europe.