NRO: Risky Methods of Data Exploitation

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

Wonder what's meant by "risky methods" NRO envisions in the 
article below by:

     "Using advanced and potentially technologically risky
     methods of exploiting data to learn more from it."

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     30 July 1997, Jane's Defence Weekly

     NRO opens up to new satellite system ideas 

     For the first time in its history, the once super-secret 
     National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is considering whether
     commercial space technology can satisfy its `customer'
     requirements for reconnaissance data needed by the DoD and
     the intelligence community. 

     In existence for over 30 years, the NRO is coming in from
     the cold for one clear reason: acquisition and operation of US
     reconnaissance satellites continues to account for most of the
     $28 billion in annual spending by the US intelligence
     community. Congress wants to find ways to trim the bill by
     encouraging the NRO to adopt commercial technology and
     move towards launching smaller, less expensive satellites. 

     The question of whether the NRO should continue to exist
     was an open debate last year. A panel chaired by Adm David
     Jeremiah, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
     concluded that the unique partnership between the Director of
     Central Intelligence and the Defense Secretary to build,
     operate and manage space-based intelligence systems should
     continue in the form of the NRO. 

     "There are important inter-relationships between the NRO and
     DoD space activities in areas such as launch technology,
     industrial base and communications, and the NRO needs to
     use DoD systems such as the Global Positioning System as
     well as the DoD needs to use products from NRO systems,"
     the report said. However the panel also emphasised that all of
     the relationships between the NRO and the Pentagon need
     clarification. 

     NRO Director Keith Hall is driving much of the process at the
     agency towards opening the door to commercial technology
     and improving the agency. "I do not think that a customer
     that needs a picture to answer a key question to make an
     operational decision cares whether that picture comes from
     one of my satellites, an airplane or a commercial sensor
     system," he said. "If that means a commercial system can
     provide some of that, I am entirely for it." 

     A major vehicle for operational change at the NRO is the
     Future Imagery Architecture (FIA) programme aimed at
     fielding a next-generation space-based imagery intelligence
     (IMINT) system. "We have said to our FIA vendors that they
     are free to propose to us a mixed architecture of government
     systems and commercial systems," said Hall, noting that such
     a notion is indeed a first for the agency. "We have not
     heretofore been involved at all in the acquisition of
     commercial imagery." 

     The FIA may set a precedent for future reconnaissance
     acquisition. In mid-1996, the NRO and the old Central
     Imagery Office, now part of the NIMA, concluded an initial
     `Phase A' of an architecture study which detailed the
     attributes of a future imagery system most wanted by NRO
     customers. It resulted in the identification of more than 20
     varying performance levels. 

     The NRO began what it calls the `Phase B' concept
     programme in May last year. It is working with six
     contractor teams and the NIMA to determine "what utility
     would those differences in performance have," said Hall, who
     became director in March. 

     The NRO expects to publish a final `Phase C' solicitation to
     industry with detailed performance specifications by early
     next year. Hall said that the solicitation will have "objective
     requirements and the relative value the government places on
     them". 

     Contractors will not be told precisely how to meet those
     requirements but only the performance objectives. `Phase C'
     will be separated into a satellite segment and an integration
     and ground segment. "We have some vendors that are bidding
     on all segments so theoretically a single contractor could win
     it all," said Hall. A final contract award is expected late next
     year with the first satellite system due to be flying early in the
     next decade. 

     Hall also said that smaller satellites will be considered in the
     FIA as well as other constellations. Although they present
     some technical challenges, constellations of smaller satellites
     mean that more satellites will be on orbit, leading to more
     frequent `revisits' over targets and less overall system
     degradation if one satellite fails. 

     The FIA programme has already led to some innovation. The
     small Surveillance, Targeting and Reconnaissance Satellite
     (Starlite) being proposed by the Defense Advanced Research
     Projects Agency (DARPA) for tactical reconnaissance could
     be considered as a future imagery architecture option.
     However, it appears more likely it will become a technology
     demonstration. 

     DARPA's proposal underscores the dilemma of how to draw
     a distinction between reconnaissance - an NRO mission - and
     surveillance, which traditionally has been done by the US Air
     Force in monitoring weather and missile launches for
     example. "We will do more joint programmes with multiple
     sensors," predicted Maj Gen Robert Dickman, the DoD space
     architect. 

     As the NRO and DoD grow closer, Hall believes it is
     important to acknowledge that commercial systems can only
     go so far in meeting the precise resolution and product
     delivery requirements needed by the IC. 

     Aside from fielding the FIA, Hall has set a number of other
     objectives for the agency, including increasing funding for
     research and development by re- allocating existing funds. His
     five mission objectives in research and development are: 

     - Developing new sources and methods, such as collection
     and processing of information against hard targets; 

     - Orders of magnitude improvements in efficiency and
     effectiveness of NRO systems; 

     - Using advanced and potentially technologically risky
     methods of exploiting data to learn more from it; 

     - Using space-based solutions to address "intractable"
     intelligence problems such as monitoring chemical and
     biological warfare facilities; 

     - Improving "space services" by assisting the US Defense
     Department with its space mission when possible. 

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