National Harbor, Md. –
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is leveraging innovation to accelerate the delivery of space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, NRO Director Chris Scolese said Thursday at an annual conference on intelligence and national security.
“We have been asked throughout the history of the NRO to deliver more information and deliver it faster, at the speed of need,” Scolese said during a fireside chat with Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, at the Intelligence and National Security Summit. The event, co-hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, drew more than 2,000 participants from government, industry, and academia.
“We're constantly innovating,” Scolese said. “We need to do more and more, not only to make the data that we're bringing down today useful, but to make the data that we bring down in the future not only useful but better.”
Faster delivery of information is critical to maintaining America’s information advantage, especially as United States works to stay ahead of threats amid an evolving geopolitical environment. This objective has been the driving force behind the successful deployment of more than 200 satellites in the NRO’s proliferated architecture over the past 30 months.
“This allows us to revisit the target faster, so we're delivering the information that the user needs within the time span that the user needs it,” Scolese said.
Speed is not the only priority; the proliferated architecture is also delivering innovative capabilities that enhance agility and resilience.
“We are constantly looking at our sensors to make sure they can't be jammed, that we can deliver the data through all phases of conflict,” Scolese said. “It's easy to do this when everything is fine. It's harder to do it when you're in crisis or conflict, when they're taking active measures.”
Scolese said cybersecurity remains his highest priority, emphasizing how the NRO is working to ensure capabilities effectively operate not only in times of peace, but also in times of crisis and conflict.
“Cyber is the one area where the cost of admission is cheap,” he said. “We're investing in it and appreciate ideas from industry on how we can be more effective and protect our systems.”
One critical factor in the NRO’s ability to innovate is its investment in its workforce.
“Our people have great ideas, and we need to let them go off and do those things,” Scolese said. “And I think the NRO has done that.”
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