McLean, VA –
Dr. Chris Scolese, director of the National Reconnaissance Office, delivered a call to action to government and industry leaders – leverage the full potential of the cutting-edge architecture the NRO has deployed on the ground and in space.
“The NRO is delivering something special,” Dr. Scolese told the audience at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) Leadership Dinner on Wednesday. “Now it’s up to our nation to exploit the fullness of its potential.”
Over the past two years, the NRO has deployed a proliferated constellation of more than 150 satellites and expanded the computing power of its ground architecture, enabling far more data to be collected than ever before. This has created the largest and most capable government constellation on orbit in U.S. history. Dr. Scolese announced this ambitious plan during the INSA Leadership Dinner in November 2022, and his remarks to INSA leadership Wednesday focused on the NRO’s progress.
“Today, we have the data and the tools to help answer some of the toughest intelligence challenges of our time; to strengthen security, readiness, and lethality; and to effectively respond to disasters and humanitarian crises around the world,” Dr. Scolese said.
The newly deployed satellites strengthen U.S. space-based intelligence capabilities by shortening revisit times and increasing observational persistence. This improves resiliency and security, making it more difficult for adversaries to hide. Other recent investments in technology are also making data more readily accessible to NRO customers, including policymakers, warfighters, and first responders.
“To secure our leadership into the future, we’ve accelerated the pace of research, development, and innovation,” Dr. Scolese said.
For example, commercial partnerships are enhancing electro-optical, radar, and other capabilities while fusing data streams to make them available to users faster than ever. Investments in advanced computing, including artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, offer improved data capture; while investments in ground systems are enhancing data processing and enabling the development of sophisticated dashboards and tools that make NRO data more accessible to users. With these technologies now operational, Dr. Scolese said partnerships with outside stakeholders will maximize their potential.
“The NRO is moving faster than ever before,” Dr. Scolese said. “It’s time for all of us to work together – government, industry, academia, allies, and other partners – by combining our respective authorities, capabilities, and talents to enable a more secure present and future.”
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