WASHINGTON, DC –
Expanding the United States’ intelligence advantage depends on innovation – both in technology and in relationships with industry partners, said Dr. Chris Scolese, director of the National Reconnaissance Office.
“The challenge we have is to stay ahead of those people and organizations and nations that want to keep us from delivering the information that we need,” he said. “That requires us to constantly be innovating.”
Dr. Scolese discussed how the NRO is building innovative relationships with the business community on day two of the
Global Aerospace Summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The two-day event featured leaders from government, military, industry, and trade associations and attracted nearly 1,000 participants.
“When it comes to industry, we have expanded who we work with, and we are working across a broad spectrum,” he said. That spectrum includes large, traditional companies as well as small and emerging businesses that are offering innovative capabilities. For example, newer entities, such as those with smaller spacecraft, enable the NRO to test new technologies. Other businesses are making multiples of what Dr. Scolese described as “essentially commodity spacecraft” that can be combined with NRO sensors to support a proliferated architecture on orbit. Over the past fiscal year, the NRO awarded prime contracts to 76 small businesses, totaling more than $500 million.
NRO Director Chris Scolese chats with moderator JJ Green, national security
correspondent for WTOP, at the Global Aerospace Summit (Photo by J Naltchayan)
Innovations with business aren’t just about investing in technology. The NRO is also expanding its outreach, raising awareness among entrepreneurs about the capabilities it needs, and reducing barriers to entry in the national security marketplace.
For example, the
Director’s Innovation Initiative (DII) gives small businesses and academic researchers a “foot in the door” to the NRO. The DII funds emerging research with a $500,000 firm fixed-price contract for nine months. “It gives them an entry way to work with us at low cost to them and low threat to them,” Dr. Scolese said.
“We look for different types of contracting mechanisms so we can work not only with the traditional contractors who understand our business very well, but also with new entrants,” Dr. Scolese said. “We provide opportunities including SCIF space for smaller companies and then put in training programs to help companies work in a classified environment.”
Next month, the NRO’s unclassified Tech Forum will showcase opportunities for doing business with the NRO. That event will be held Oct. 17-18 at the Aerospace headquarters in Chantilly, Va. Additional details and registration for the Tech Forum is available at
https://cvent.me/wnn782.
Dr. Scolese noted that because the NRO manages the full lifecycle of its technologies, including concept development, design, acquisition, launch, operations, and ultimately end of mission, it can more readily identify its needs and find industry partners to enhance those capabilities.
“That end-to-end sense of responsibility allows us to constantly innovate, constantly improve, and constantly stay ahead of our competitors and any threats that are out there.”