NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE

Events & Coverage

2001 - 2002

 

Materials presented in chronological order.

Singer, Jeremy. "Peters Criticizes Space Commission Findings." Space News, 22 Jan. 2001, 14.

Diamond, John M. "Re-examining Problems and Prospects in U.S. Imagery Intelligence." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 14, no. 1 (Spring 2001): 1-24.

The focus here is on space-based imagery intelligence. The discussion flows out of five "key points" identified by the author:

"1. The U.S. space imagery community has yet to clearly lay out a path forward that is unanimously supported within the intelligence community and by congressional overseers.

"2. The current space imagery intelligence architecture has yet to demonstrate an ability to contribute decisively in one of the nation's most important national security areas: terrorism and weapons proliferation.

"3. The primary mission of imagery intelligence is trending away from the national strategic mission of the Cold War and toward a real-time battlefield information role....

"4. Despite a major transformation of the major national security challenges facing the United States, the imagery intelligence system in use today is essentially the same as that used during the Cold War.

"5. Among sophisticated adversaries, development of the skills involved in denying and deceiving observation from space appears to be outpacing advancement in satellite intelligence collection."

Wall, Robert. "Rumsfeld Revamps Space, Pushes 'Black' Projects." Aviation Week & Space Technology, 14 May 2001, 30.

Richelson, Jeffrey T. "Back to Black." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/Jun. 2001,22-24, 74.

Gertz, Bill. "12-hour Glitch on Spy Satellite Causes Intelligence Gap." Washington Times, 26 Jul. 2001. [http://www.washtimes.com]

The NRO lost contact with a Lacrosse radar-imaging satellite last week, "causing a major gap in intelligence monitoring of world hot spots.... The satellite stopped functioning for some 12 hours, according to U.S. intelligence officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.... The satellite was said to be functioning normally after the glitch was fixed."

Loeb, Vernon. "FBI Official Named to CIA Deputy Post." Washington Post. 4 Aug. 2001, A4. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]

On 3 August 2001, among other appointments, DCI George J. Tenet announced that Dennis Fitzgerald, CIA Associate Deputy Director for Science and Technology (ADDS&T), will become deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office.

Masters, Brooke A. "Retired Air Force Sgt. Charged With Espionage." Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2001. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Brian P. Regan, 38, a retired Air Force sergeant who worked as a government contractor at the National Reconnaissance Office, was arrested by the FBI on 23 August 2001 at Dulles International Airport on espionage charges. The details of the allegations, "including the foreign country involved, have not been made public."

Click for additional details on the Brian P. Regan spy case.

Pincus, Walter. "Satellite Agency Has Tradition of Secrecy; Joint Defense-CIA Enterprise Uses Many Contract Employees Such as Alleged Spy." Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2001, A10. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]

This is a quick view of the NRO and its activities.

Best, Richard A., Jr. Imagery Intelligence: Issues for Congress. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 12 Apr. 2002. Available at: http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL31369.pdf.

The importance of imagery intelligence "has been growing significantly in recent years. The challenge is to design organizations to obtain, analyze, and disseminate the result of new technologies to support an evolving defense and national security structure while remaining within budgetary constraints. The mixture of cutting-edge technologies, complex organizational structures, and budgetary limitations complicate decision-making."

Includes useful appendices focused on the NRO and NIMA.

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