1) Nominees need not be employees or alumni of the National Reconnaissance Office.

2) Nominees may be, but are not limited to, current or retired military, government civilian, contractor, or academic personnel.

3) Nominees may be living or deceased.

4) The Pioneers Recognition Program will exclude all NRO Directors, Deputy Directors, and Program Directors, since these candidates previously have been honored by the DNRO on the Directors', Deputy Directors', and Program Directors' walls.

B. Significance of Contribution. While countless people have made important contributions to national reconnaissance over the years, the eligibility criteria to be designated as a "National Reconnaissance Pioneer" will require significant contributions and achievements that meet the following standards.

1) "National Reconnaissance Pioneers" shall be individuals who have made contributions to national reconnaissance of such significance as to have changed the direction or scope of: (a) national intelligence collection and analysis; (b) aerospace and reconnaissance technology; or (c) reconnaissance-based information operations.

2) A "National Reconnaissance Pioneer" is an individual who played a unique and pivotal role in national reconnaissance activities such as:

a) Conceiving and planning, or successfully developing, a new sensor, aerial or satellite system, communication system, or orbital application that greatly improved overhead intelligence collection.

b) Organizing, leading, or successfully managing the teams that designed, fabricated, launched or operated a new and complex reconnaissance system that greatly improved overhead intelligence collection.

c) Conceiving and planning, or successfully developing, a new technique, procedure, or method that greatly improved the evaluation, interpretation, cryptanalysis, information processing, or dissemination of information collected by overhead reconnaissance systems.

d) Conceiving and planning, or successfully developing, a new acquisition technique, contracting procedure, or method that greatly benefited the government in the procurement of overhead reconnaissance systems.

         3)  The contributions and achievements of National Reconnaissance Pioneers" will be "time-tested" for historical impact. It is often difficult to recognize the historical significance of more recent contributions. Because of this, the Pioneer Selection Board typically will defer the consideration of any candidate whose contributions and achievements were made for activities that occurred within the past five years.