The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has selected
its Pioneer Class of 2004 – four people
who made significant and lasting contributions
to the discipline of national reconnaissance.
The four selectees are Mr. Sam Araki, retired
Air Force Lt. Col. Harvey Cohen, Mr. Robert Kaemmerer,
and Mr. James McAnally.
The new pioneers will be honored in a ceremony
at 2 p.m. Oct. 13 at NRO headquarters where plaques
will be permanently displayed in their honor.
The pioneers were selected by Under Secretary
of the Air Force and NRO Director Peter Teets
based on recommendations from a special selection
board, and will join 57 pioneers selected over
the past four years.
Mr. Araki pioneered at Lockheed Missiles and
Space Company the development of the Agena spacecraft,
the world’s first stabilized platform for
space. His contributions resulted in a space platform
that the NRO used during the 1960s for a majority
of its space-based SIGINT and IMINT systems, most
notably for the highly successful Corona system.
His career in national reconnaissance spanned
from 1958-2002.
Lt. Col. Cohen pioneered for Program A from 1964
to 1984 innovative NRO security practices and
procedures that were instrumental in the success
of Program A’s Cold War Space Systems. These
innovative information safeguard procedures, and
their associated policy framework, provided the
essential security to protect sensitive reconnaissance
technology. His career in national reconnaissance
spanned from 1962-2000.
Mr. Kaemmerer pioneered at TRW the development
of the most sophisticated family of intelligence
satellite systems of the Cold War. His contributions
continued to be reflected in nearly every facet
of certain NRO geo-synchronous and highly-elliptical
orbit systems developed during the early 21st
Century. His career in national reconnaissance
spanned from 1966 to the present.
Mr. McAnally pioneered at Martin Marietta development
of a new satellite reconnaissance system capable
of producing imagery essential for a wide range
of operations. This system provided unique and
critical intelligence information during the Cold
War and into the Global War on Terrorism. His
career in national reconnaissance spanned from
1976-1997.
News media wishing to attend the event must
contact the NRO Office of Corporate Communications
at (703) 808-1015 or (703) 808-1746 and must be
at the NRO Visitor’s Center by 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 13.
