National Reconnaissance Office - Wikipedia National Reconnaissance Office From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search United States intelligence agency in charge of satellite intelligence National Reconnaissance Office NRO headquarters at night Agency overview Formed Established: September 6, 1961 (1961-09-06) Declassified: September 18, 1992 (1992-09-18) Jurisdiction United States Headquarters Chantilly, Virginia, U.S. Motto Supra Et Ultra (Above And Beyond) Annual budget Classified Agency executive Christopher Scolese[1], Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO) Dr Troy Meink[2], Principal Deputy Director of the NRO (PDDNRO) Maj Gen Michael A. Guetlein [3], Deputy Director of the NRO (DDNRO) Parent agency Department of Defense Website www.nro.gov Part of a series on the Space program of the United States Space policy NASA NOAA NRO SPACECOM USSF Human spaceflight programs Mercury Gemini Apollo Skylab Space Shuttle Shuttle–Mir ISS Commercial Crew Constellation Artemis Robotic spaceflight programs CRS Defense Support Explorers GLS Large Strategic Lunar Orbiter Lunar Precursor Mariner Mars Exploration New Millennium Pioneer Planetary Missions Discovery New Frontiers Solar System Exploration Planetary Observer Ranger Surveyor USA Vanguard Viking Voyager X-37 Launch vehicles Antares Atlas Agena Centaur LV-3B V Delta II IV Heavy Falcon 9 Heavy Redstone Juno I Mercury Saturn I IB V Shuttle-Derived SLS Space Shuttle Titan II GLV IIIE IV Vanguard Astronauts Mercury Gemini Apollo Space Shuttle v t e The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense. NRO is considered, along with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), to be one of the "big five" U.S. intelligence agencies.[4] The NRO is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia,[5] 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Washington Dulles International Airport. It designs, builds, launches, and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the U.S. federal government, and provides satellite intelligence to several government agencies, particularly signals intelligence (SIGINT) to the NSA, imagery intelligence (IMINT) to the NGA, and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) to the DIA.[6] The Director of the NRO reports to both the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense.[7] The NRO's federal workforce is a hybrid organization consisting of some 3000 personnel including NRO cadre, Air Force, Army, CIA, NGA, NSA, Navy and US Space Force [8] personnel.[9] A 1996 bipartisan commission report described the NRO as having by far the largest budget of any intelligence agency, and "virtually no federal workforce", accomplishing most of its work through "tens of thousands" of defense contractor personnel.[10] Contents 1 Mission 2 History 2.1 Existence 2.2 Funding controversy 2.3 Future Imagery Architecture 2.4 Mid-2000s to present 3 Organization 3.1 Personnel 3.2 Budget 3.3 NRO directives and instructions 3.4 Coordination with USSPACECOM 4 Technology 4.1 Spacecraft 4.1.1 GEOINT imaging 4.1.2 GEOINT radar 4.1.3 SIGINT 4.1.4 Space communications 4.2 NMIS network 4.3 Sentient 5 Locations 6 In popular culture 7 Image gallery 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Mission[edit] The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) develops, builds, launches, and operates space reconnaissance systems and conducts intelligence-related activities for U.S. national security.[11][12] The NRO also coordinates collection and analysis of information from airplane and satellite reconnaissance by the military services and the Central Intelligence Agency.[13] It is funded through the National Reconnaissance Program, which is part of the National Intelligence Program (formerly known as the National Foreign Intelligence Program).[14] The agency is part of the Department of Defense. The NRO works closely with its intelligence and space partners, which include the National Security Agency (NSA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the United States Strategic Command, the United States Space Command, Naval Research Laboratory, and other agencies and organizations. History[edit] Close-up of Atlas 501 payload fairing with NROL-41 satellite (poster commemorating 50 years of NRO). Serum and Vaccine Institute in Al-A'amiriya, Iraq, as imaged by a US reconnaissance satellite in November 2002. US Satellite imagery of Syrian tanks departing Da'el in Daraa province after several days of assaults against the town in April 2012. See also: Chronology of the National Reconnaissance Office The NRO was established on August 25, 1960, after management problems and insufficient progress with the USAF satellite reconnaissance program (see SAMOS and MIDAS).[15]:23[16] The formation was based on a 25 August 1960 recommendation to President Dwight D. Eisenhower during a special National Security Council meeting, and the agency was to coordinate the USAF and CIA's (and later the navy and NSA's) reconnaissance activities.[15]:46 The NRO's first photo reconnaissance satellite program was the Corona program,[17]:25–28 the existence of which was declassified February 24, 1995, and which existed from August 1960 to May 1972 (although the first test flight occurred on February 28, 1959). The Corona system used (sometimes multiple) film capsules dropped by satellites, which were recovered mid-air by military craft. The first successful recovery from space (Discoverer XIII) occurred on August 12, 1960, and the first image from space was seen six days later. The first imaging resolution was 8 meters, which was improved to 2 meters. Individual images covered, on average, an area of about 10 by 120 miles (16 by 193 km). The last Corona mission (the 145th), was launched May 25, 1972, and this mission's last images were taken May 31, 1972. From May 1962 to August 1964, the NRO conducted 12 mapping missions as part of the "Argon" system. Only seven were successful.[17]:25–28 In 1963, the NRO conducted a mapping mission using higher resolution imagery, as part of the "Lanyard" program. The Lanyard program flew one successful mission.[citation needed] NRO missions since 1972 are classified, and portions of many earlier programs remain unavailable to the public. On August 18, 2000 the National Reconnaissance Office recognized its ten original Founders. They were: William O. Baker, Merton E. Davies, Sidney Drell, Richard L. Garwin, Amrom Harry Katz, James R. Killian, Edwin H. Land, Frank W. Lehan, William J. Perry, Edward M. Purcell.[18] Although their early work was highly classified, this group of men went on to extraordinary public accomplishments, including a Secretary of Defense, a Nobel Laureate, a president of MIT, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Science, a renowned planetary scientist, and more. Existence[edit] The first press reports on NRO started in 1971.[19] The first official acknowledgement of NRO was a Senate committee report in October 1973, which inadvertently exposed the existence of the NRO.[20] In 1985, a New York Times article revealed details on the operations of the NRO.[21] The existence of the NRO was declassified on September 18, 1992, by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, as recommended by the Director of Central Intelligence.[22] Funding controversy[edit] A Washington Post article in September 1995 reported that the NRO had quietly hoarded between $1 billion and $1.7 billion in unspent funds without informing the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, or Congress. The CIA was in the midst of an inquiry into the NRO's funding because of complaints that the agency had spent $300 million of hoarded funds from its classified budget to build a new headquarters building in Chantilly, Virginia, a year earlier. In total, NRO had accumulated US$3.8 billion (inflation adjusted US$ 6.4 billion in 2021) in forward funding. As a consequence, NRO's three distinct accounting systems were merged.[23] The presence of the classified new headquarters was revealed by the Federation of American Scientists who obtained unclassified copies of the blueprints filed with the building permit application. After 9/11 those blueprints were apparently classified. The reports of an NRO slush fund were true. According to former CIA general counsel Jeffrey Smith, who led the investigation: "Our inquiry revealed that the NRO had for years accumulated very substantial amounts as a 'rainy day fund.'"[24] Future Imagery Architecture[edit] In 1999 the NRO embarked on a $25 billion[25] project with Boeing entitled Future Imagery Architecture to create a new generation of imaging satellites. In 2002 the project was far behind schedule and would most likely cost $2 billion to $3 billion more than planned, according to NRO records. The government pressed forward with efforts to complete the project, but after two more years, several more review panels and billions more in expenditures, the project was killed in what the Times report calls "perhaps the most spectacular and expensive failure in the 50-year history of American spy satellite projects."[26] Mid-2000s to present[edit] In August 23, 2001, Mr. Brian Regan, a civilian employee of TRW at NRO, was arrested at Dulles International Airport outside Washington while boarding a flight for Zurich. He was carrying coded information about Iraqi and Chinese missile sites. He also had the addresses of the Chinese and Iraqi Embassies in Switzerland and Austria. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for offering to sell intelligence secrets to Iraq and China. [27] In January 2008, the government announced that a reconnaissance satellite operated by the NRO would make an unplanned and uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere in the next several months. Satellite watching hobbyists said that it was likely the USA-193, built by Lockheed Martin Corporation, which failed shortly after achieving orbit in December 2006.[28] On February 14, 2008, the Pentagon announced that rather than allowing the satellite to make an uncontrolled re-entry, it would instead be shot down by a missile fired from a Navy cruiser.[29] The intercept took place on February 21, 2008.[30] In July 2008, the NRO declassified the existence of its Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites, citing difficulty in discussing the creation of the Space-Based Radar with the United States Air Force and other entities.[31] In August 2009, FOIA archives were queried for a copy of the NRO video, "Satellite Reconnaissance: Secret Eyes in Space."[32] The 7 minute video chronicles the early days of the NRO and many of its early programs. It was proposed that the NRO share the imagery of the United States itself with the National Applications Office for domestic law enforcement purposes.[33] The NAO was disestablished in 2009. The NRO is a non-voting associate member in the Civil Applications Committee (CAC). The CAC is an inter-agency committee that coordinates and oversees the Federal- Civil use of classified collections. The CAC was officially chartered in 1975 by the Office of the President to provide Federal- Civil agencies access to National Systems data in support of mission responsibilities. [34] According to Asia Times Online, one important mission of NRO satellites is the tracking of non-US submarines on patrol or on training missions in the world's oceans and seas.[35] At the National Space Symposium in April 2010, NRO director General Bruce Carlson, United States Air Force (Retired) announced that until the end of 2011, NRO is embarking on "the most aggressive launch schedule that this organization has undertaken in the last twenty-five years. There are a number of very large and very critical reconnaissance satellites that will go into orbit in the next year to a year and a half."[36] In 2012, a McClatchy investigation found that the NRO was possibly breaching ethical and legal boundaries by encouraging its polygraph examiners to extract personal and private information from DoD personnel during polygraph tests that were limited to counterintelligence issues.[37] Allegations of abusive polygraph practices were brought forward by former NRO polygraph examiners.[38] In 2014, an inspector general's report concluded that NRO failed to report felony admissions of child sexual abuse to law enforcement authorities. NRO obtained these criminal admissions during polygraph testing but never forwarded the information to police. NRO's failure to act in the public interest by reporting child sexual predators was first made public in 2012 by former NRO polygraph examiners.[39] On Aug 30, 2019, Donald Trump tweeted an image of “the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran”. The image almost certainly came from a satellite known as USA 224, according to Marco Langbroek, a satellite-tracker based in the Netherlands. The satellite was launched by the National Reconnaissance Office in 2011.[40] On January 31, 2020, Rocket Lab successfully launched a NROL-151 payload for the NRO.[41] On July 15, 2020, NROL-149 was successfully launched aboard the first launch of Northrop Grumman's new Minotaur IV rocket. Organization[edit] NRO Organizational Chart (Sep. 2010) The NRO is part of the Department of Defense. The Director of the NRO is appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the consent of the Senate in accordance with Title 50 of U.S. code.[42] Traditionally, the position was given to either the Under Secretary of the Air Force or the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space, but with the appointment of Donald Kerr as Director of the NRO in July 2005 the position is now independent. The Agency is organized as follows:[43] Principal Deputy Director of the NRO (PDDNRO) Reports to and coordinates with the DNRO on all NRO activities and handles the daily management of the NRO with decision responsibility as delegated by the DNRO; and, In the absence of the Director, acts on behalf of the DNRO. Deputy Director of the NRO (DDNRO) Senior USAF General Officer. Represents the civilian/uniformed USAF personnel assigned to the NRO; Assists both the DNRO and PDDNRO in the daily direction of the NRO; and, Coordinates activities between the USAF and the NRO. The Corporate Staff Encompasses all those support functions such as legal, diversity, human resources, security/counterintelligence, procurement, public affairs, etc. necessary for the day-to-day operation of the NRO and in support of the DNRO, PDNRO, and DDNRO. Office of Space Launch (OSL) Responsible for all aspects of a satellite launch including launch vehicle hardware, launch services integration, mission assurance, operations, transportation, and mission safety; and, OSL is NRO's launch representative with industry, the USAF, and NASA. Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate (AS&T) Invents and delivers advanced technologies; Develops new sources and methods; and, Enables multi-intelligence solutions. Business Plans and Operations (BPO) Responsible for all financial and budgetary aspects of NRO programs and operations; and, Coordinates all legislative, international, and public affairs communications. Communications Systems Acquisition Directorate (COMM) Supports the NRO by providing communications services through physical and virtual connectivity; and, Enables the sharing of mission critical information with mission partners and customers. Ground Enterprise Directorate (GED) Provides an integrated ground system that sends timely information to users worldwide. Geospatial Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (GEOINT) Responsible for acquiring NRO's technologically advanced imagery collection systems, which provides geospatial intelligence data to the Intelligence Community and the military. Management Services and Operations (MS&O) Provides services such as facilities support, transportation and warehousing, logistics, and other business support, which the NRO needs to operate on a daily basis. Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) Operates, maintains and reports the status of NRO satellites and their associated ground systems; Manages the 24-hour NRO Operations Center (NROC) which, working with U.S Strategic Command, provides defensive space control and space protection, monitors satellite flight safety, and provides space situational awareness. Mission Integration Directorate (MID) Engages with users of NRO systems to understand their operational and intelligence problems and provide solutions in collaboration with NRO's mission partners. Manages the Tactical Defense Space Reconnaissance (TacDSR) Program to directly answer emerging warfighting intelligence requirements of the Combatant Commands (CCMDs), Services, and other tactical users as funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Intelligence Program (MIP).[44] Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (SIGINT) This directorate builds and deploys NRO's signals intelligence satellite systems that collect communication, electronic, and foreign instrumentation signals intelligence. Systems Engineering Directorate (SED) Provides beginning-to-end systems engineering for all of NRO's systems. Personnel[edit] See also: Leadership of the National Reconnaissance Office In 2007, the NRO described itself as "a hybrid organization consisting of some 3,000 personnel and jointly staffed by members of the armed services, the Central Intelligence Agency and DOD civilian personnel."[45] Between 2010 and 2012, the workforce is expected to increase by 100.[46] The majority of workers for the NRO are private corporate contractors, with $7 billion of the agency's $8 billion budget going to private corporations.[17]:178 Budget[edit] NRO budget FY 2004 to 2013 The NRO derives its funding both from the US intelligence budget and the military budget. In 1971, the annual budget was estimated to be around $1 billion in nominal dollars ($ 6.3 billion real in 2021).[19] A 1975 report by Congress's Commission on the Organization of the Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy states that the NRO had "the largest budget of any intelligence agency".[21] By 1994, the annual budget had risen to $6 billion (inflation adjusted $ 10.3 billion in 2021),[47] and for 2010 it is estimated to amount to $15 billion (inflation adjusted $ 17.6 billion in 2021).[48] This would correspond to 19% of the overall US intelligence budget of $80 billion for FY2010.[49] For Fiscal Year 2012 the budget request for science and technology included an increase to almost 6% (about $600 million) of the NRO budget after it had dropped to just about 3% of the overall budget in the years before.[46] NRO directives and instructions[edit] Under the Freedom of Information Act, the NRO declassified a list of secret directives for internal use. The following is a list of the released directives, which are available for download: NROD 10-2 – "National Reconnaissance Office External Management Policy" NROD 10-4 – "National Reconnaissance Office Sensitive Activities Management Group" NROD 10-5 – "Office of Corporate System Engineer Charter" NROD 22-1 – "Office of Inspector General" NROD 22-2 – "Employee Reports of Urgent Concerns to Congress" NROD 22-3 – "Obligations to report evidence of Possible Violations of Federal Criminal Law and Illegal Intelligence Activities" NROD 50-1 – "Executive Order 12333 – Intelligence Activities Affecting United States Persons" NROD 61-1 – "NRO Internet Policy, Information Technology" NROD 82-1a – "NRO Space Launch Management" NROD 110-2 – "National Reconnaissance Office Records and Information Management Program" NROD 120-1 – The NRO Military Uniform Wear Policy NROD 120-2 – "The NRO Awards and Recognition Programs" NROD 120-3 – "Executive Secretarial Panel" NROD 120-4 – "National Reconnaissance Pioneer Recognition Program" NROD 120-5 – "National Reconnaissance Office Utilization of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program" NROD 121-1 – "Training of NRO Personnel" NROI 150-4 – "Prohibited Items in NRO Headquarters Buildings/Property" Coordination with USSPACECOM[edit] At a press event prior to the establishment of USSPACECOM, the Commander of USSPACECOM, US Air Force General Raymond stated that the NRO will “respond to the direction of the United States Space Command commander” to “protecting and defending those (space) capabilities”. General Raymond further stated that “we (NRO and USSPACECOM) have a shared concept of operations, we have a shared vision and a shared concept of operations. We train together, we exercise together, we man the same C2 center, if you will, at the National Space Defense Center” [50] Technology[edit] See also: List of NRO satellites NRO's technology is likely more advanced than its civilian equivalents. In the 1980s, the NRO had satellites and software that were capable of determining the exact dimensions of a tank gun.[21] In 2012 the agency donated two space telescopes to NASA. Despite being stored unused, the instruments are superior to the Hubble Space Telescope. One journalist observed, "If telescopes of this caliber are languishing on shelves, imagine what they're actually using."[51] Spacecraft[edit] KH-9 Hexagon during integration at Lockheed The NRO maintains four main satellite constellations:[52] NRO SIGINT constellation NRO GEOINT constellation NRO Communications Relay constellation NRO Reconnaissance constellation The NRO spacecraft include:[53] GEOINT imaging[edit] Keyhole series – Imagery intelligence: KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, KH-4, KH-4A, KH-4B Corona (1959–1972) KH-5 – Argon (1961–1962) KH-6— Lanyard (1963) KH-7 – Gambit (1963–1967)[54] KH-8 – Gambit (1966–1984) KH-9 – Hexagon and Big Bird (1971–1986) KH-10 – Dorian (cancelled) KH-11 – Kennan (or Kennen), Crystal, Improved Crystal, Ikon, and Evolved Enhanced CRYSTAL System (1976–2013) Samos – photo imaging (1960–1962) Misty/Zirconic – stealth IMINT Enhanced Imaging System Next Generation Electo-Optical (NGEO), modular system, designed for incremental improvements (in development).[55] GEOINT radar[edit] Lacrosse/Onyx – radar imaging (1988–) TOPAZ (1–5) and TOPAZ Block 2[53] SIGINT[edit] Samos-F – SIGINT (1962–1971) Poppy – ELINT program (1962–1971) continuing Naval Research Laboratory's GRAB (1960–1961) Jumpseat (1971–1983) and Trumpet (1994–2008) SIGINT Canyon (1968–1977), Vortex/Chalet (1978–1989) and Mercury (1994–1998) – SIGINT including COMINT Rhyolite/Aquacade (1970–1978), Magnum/Orion (1985–1990), and Mentor (1995–2010) – SIGINT NEMESIS (High Altitude)[53] ORION (High Altitude)[53] RAVEN (High Altitude)[53] INTRUDER (Low Altitude)[53] SIGINT High Altitude Replenishment Program (SHARP) Space communications[edit] Quasar, communications relay[53] NROL-1 through NROL-66 – various secret satellites. NROL stands for National Reconnaissance Office Launch. This list is likely to be incomplete, given the classified nature of many NRO spacecraft. NMIS network[edit] The NRO Management Information System (NMIS) is a computer network used to distribute NRO data classified as Top Secret. It is also known as the Government Wide Area Network (GWAN).[56] Sentient[edit] The Verge published an article in July 2019 describing Sentient as a product of the NRO, which is “an omnivorous analysis tool, capable of devouring data of all sorts, making sense of the past and present, anticipating the future, and pointing satellites toward what it determines will be the most interesting parts of that future”.[57] Locations[edit] NRO ground station at Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, CO In October 2008, NRO declassified five mission ground stations: three in the United States, near Washington, D.C.; Aurora, Colorado; and Las Cruces, New Mexico, and a presence at RAF Menwith Hill, UK, and at the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, Australia. NRO Headquarters 38°52′55″N 77°27′07″W / 38.882°N 77.452°W / 38.882; -77.452 – Chantilly, Virginia National Reconnaissance Operations Center (NROC)[58] Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado (ADF-C) 39°43′05″N 104°46′37″W / 39.718°N 104.777°W / 39.718; -104.777, Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado Aerospace Data Facility-East (ADF-E) 38°44′10″N 77°09′29″W / 38.736°N 77.158°W / 38.736; -77.158, Fort Belvoir, Virginia Aerospace Data Facility-Southwest (ADF-SW) 32°30′07″N 106°36′40″W / 32.502°N 106.611°W / 32.502; -106.611, White Sands, New Mexico[59][60] NRO spacecraft launch offices reside at Cape Canaveral AFB, Florida and Vandenberg AFB, California.[61] In popular culture[edit] The NRO is featured in Dan Brown's novel Deception Point. In the film Mammoth, they are the men in black. The NRO maintains a YouTube page. Image gallery[edit] NRO Organization, circa 1971 NRO Organization, circa 2009 Patch commemorating launch of a classified payload The official mission patch from Launch-39 National Reconnaissance Operations Center ADF-East Logo ADF-Southwest Logo ADF-Colorado Logo See also[edit] National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Security Agency National Underwater Reconnaissance Office National Technical Means Reconnaissance satellite References[edit] ^ "NRO - Directors: Christopher Scolese". www.nro.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 25 October 2016. ^ https://www.nro.gov/About-NRO/Leadership/PDDNRO/ ^ https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/1044738/major-general-michael-a-guetlein/ ^ Intelligence Agencies Must Operate More Like An Enterprise ^ "Contact the NRO Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine" "National Reconnaissance Office Office of Public Affairs 14675 Lee Road Chantilly, VA 20151-1715" ^ Federation of American Scientists. "The Evolving Role of the NRO". ^ Official NRO Fact Sheet via http://www.nro.gov, accessed March 2012 ^ https://www.nro.gov/News/News-Articles/Article/2336230/nro-airmen-transfer-to-us-space-force/ ^ "Career Opportunities". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-08. ^ Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the United States Intelligence Community. "Preparing for the 21st Century: An Appraisal of U.S. Intelligence, Chapter 13 – The Cost of Intelligence". ^ "National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance (CSNR) Bulletin, Combined 2002 Issue" (PDF). Government Attic. Retrieved 26 October 2016. ^ https://www.nro.gov/About-NRO/ ^ "NRO Provides Support to the Warfighters". Press Release. NRO Press Office. 28 April 1998. Archived from the original on 18 June 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2016. ^ {{cite web |https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/ic-budget ^ a b Stares, Paul B. "The Militarization of Space". p. 23,46. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2008-11-24. ^ Jeffrey Richelson (1990). America's Secret Eyes in Space. Harper & Row. ^ a b c Paglen, Trevor (February 2009). Blank Spots On the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon's Secret World. New York: Dutton. ^ https://www.nro.gov/Portals/65/documents/news/press/2000/2000-07.pdf ^ a b (Chief, Special Security Center) (1974-01-07). "History of NRO security breaches" (PDF). National Reconnaissance Office. Retrieved 2010-12-22. ^ "CIA and others: secret agencies studied". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (published December 19, 1973): 4. 1973. ^ a b c Bamford, James (1985). "America's Supersecret Eyes In Space". The New York Times. New York: The New York Times (published January 13, 1985). ^ Jeffrey T. Richelson (September 18, 2008). "Out of the Black: The Declassification of the NRO". National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 257. National Security Archive. 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"U.S. Officials Say Broken Satellite Will Be Shot Down". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-14. ^ "DoD Succeeds In Intercepting Non-Functioning Satellite (release=No. 0139-08)" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. February 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20. ^ Colin Clark (2008-07-03). "Spy Radar Satellites Declassified". DoD Buzz, through Military.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2008-07-10. ^ The Black Vault, "Download the declassified Satellite Reconnaissance: Secret Eyes in Space", NRO, August 2009. ^ "U.S. Reconnaissance Satellites: Domestic Targets – Documents Describe Use of Satellites in Support of Civil Agencies and Longstanding Controversy". National Security Archive, The George Washington University. 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-04-12. ^ https://fas.org/irp/eprint/cac-fs.pdf ^ "US satellites shadow China's submarines". Pakistan Defence. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2016. ^ Bruce Carlson (April 14, 2010). "Bruce Carlson, Director, NRO, National Space Symposium, Remarks" (PDF). National Reconnaissance Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-04. ^ The IG complaint of Mark Phillips concerning the NRO | McClatchy. Mcclatchydc.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-21. ^ Taylor, Marisa, "Sen. Charles Grassley Seeks Probe Of Polygraph Techniques At National Reconnaissance Office", The McClatchy Company, 27 July 2012 ^ Taylor, Marisa. (2014-04-22) WASHINGTON: IG: Feds didn't pass polygraph evidence of child abuse to investigators | Courts & Crime. McClatchy DC. Retrieved on 2014-04-28. ^ https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2019/09/image-from-trump-tweet-identified-as.html?m=1 ^ Wall 2020-01-31T03:28:03Z, Mike. "Rocket Lab launches satellite for US spysat agency, guides booster back to Earth". Space.com. Retrieved 2020-02-05. ^ "Department of Defense Directive 5105.23, Change 1, 29 October, 2015" (PDF). Department of Defense. Retrieved 31 May 2019. ^ NRO Organization. [1] ^ https://www.nro.gov/InnovateNRO/TacDSR/ ^ "NRO Factsheet". p. 1. Archived from the original (Word Document) on 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2007-01-15. ^ a b Bruce Carlson (2010-09-13). "National Reconnaissance Office Update" (PDF). Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-11-25. ^ Tim Weiner (1994-08-09). "Ultra-Secret Office Gets First Budget Scrutiny". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2010-12-22. ^ John Pike (2010). "FY2010 Intelligence Budget". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2010-12-22. ^ Dilanian, Ken (2010-10-28). "Overall U.S. intelligence budget tops $80 billion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-08. ^ https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/1949346/media-roundtable-with-us-space-command-commander-gen-john-raymond/ ^ Boyle, Rebecca (June 5, 2012). "NASA Adopts Two Spare Spy Telescopes, Each Maybe More Powerful than Hubble". Popular Science. Popular Science Technology Group. Retrieved June 5, 2012. ^ "NRO Systems Overview - Module 2: Orbital Mechanics" (PDF). National Reconnaissance Office. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 2018-10-11. ^ a b c d e f g Clapper, James R. (February 2012). "FY 2013 Congressional Budget Justification, Volume 1, National Intelligence Program Summary, Resource Exhibit No. 13" (PDF). DNI. ^ Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance: Bulletin, Combined 2002 Issue: "Declassification of Early Satellite Reconnaissance Film" ^ Dr. Bruce Berkowitz (September 2011). "The National Reconnaissance Office At 50 Years: A Brief History" (PDF). Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-15. Retrieved 2011-10-24. ^ "2009 National Intelligence / A Consumer's Guide" (PDF). Office of the Director of National Intelligence. 2009. Retrieved 2013-08-19. (page 74) ^ https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/31/20746926/sentient-national-reconnaissance-office-spy-satellites-artificial-intelligence-ai ^ [2] Archived July 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine ^ Mission Ground Station Declassification memo, 2008 ^ "NRO Mission Ground Station Declassification" (PDF). National Reconnaissance Office. 2008-10-15. ^ https://www.nro.gov/About-NRO/The-National-Reconnaissance-Office/Who-We-Are/ External links[edit] NRO official website Space-Based Reconnaissance by MAJ Robert A. Guerriero National Security Archive: The NRO Declassified Memo of Declassification of NRO Additional NRO information from the Federation of American Scientists America's secret spy satellites are costing you billions, but they can't even get off the launch pad at the Wayback Machine (archived November 28, 2007) U.S. News & World Report, 8/11/03; By Douglas Pasternak Agency planned exercise on September 11 built around a plane crashing into a building, from Boston.com History of the US high-altitude SIGINT system History of the US reconnaissance system: imagery v t e United States Intelligence Community Intelligence Community Defense Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Clandestine Service Defense Debriefing Service Defense Attaché System National Intelligence University Missile and Space Intelligence Center National Center for Medical Intelligence Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency Central Security Service Special Collection Service Armed Forces Army Intelligence Marine Corps Intelligence Navy Intelligence Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Enterprise Space Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Enterprise Coast Guard Intelligence (Homeland Security) Civilian Bureau of Intelligence and Research (State) Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Operations Special Activities Center Open Source Center Directorate of Science and Technology CIA University DEA Office of National Security Intelligence (Justice) FBI Intelligence Branch (Justice) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (Homeland Security) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (Treasury) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (Energy) Director of National Intelligence Director of National Intelligence National Counterterrorism Center National Counterproliferation Center National Counterintelligence and Security Center Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center National Intelligence Council Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Joint Intelligence Community Council Chief Information Officer Executive Office of the President National Security Advisor National Security Council President's Intelligence Advisory Board Homeland Security Council Homeland Security Advisor President's Daily Brief Other Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency National Security Division (Justice) Army Intelligence Support Activity Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System Intellipedia Oversight Senate Intelligence Committee House Intelligence Committee Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Office of Management and Budget Information Security Oversight Office Intelligence Oversight Board Defunct Contingency Fund for Foreign Intercourse Counterintelligence Field Activity Military Information Division Military Intelligence Division Military Intelligence Service Office of Strategic Services Office of Special Plans Strategic Support Branch v t e United States Department of Defense Headquarters: The Pentagon Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense David Norquist, Deputy Secretary of Defense Lisa Hershman, Chief Management Officer Office of the Secretary of Defense (including Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities) Deputy Secretary of Defense Deputy's Advisory Working Group Office of Net Assessment Special Access Program Oversight Committee Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Acquisition University Defense Acquisition Board Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Innovation Unit Defense Microelectronics Activity Defense Technical Information Center Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center Missile Defense Agency Space Development Agency Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Defense Security Cooperation Agency Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Defense Contract Audit Agency Defense Finance and Accounting Service Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Defense Commissary Agency Department of Defense Education Activity Defense Human Resources Activity (Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute * Defense Travel Management Office * Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service) Defense Health Agency Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Defense Information Systems Agency (White House Communications Agency) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency/Central Security Service (Director/Chief) Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Defense Media Activity (American Forces Press Service, American Forces Radio and Television Service, Stars and Stripes, The Pentagon Channel) General Counsel of the Department of Defense Defense Legal Services Agency (Office of Military Commissions) Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense Pentagon Force Protection Agency Washington Headquarters Services (White House Military Office) Military Departments Department of the Army Secretary of the Army The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Assistant Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs General Counsel of the Army The Administrative Assistant The Army Staff: Chief of Staff of the Army Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Sergeant Major of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Chief of Chaplains Judge Advocate General Provost Marshal General Surgeon General U.S. Army field organizations: see Structure of the United States Army Department of the Navy Secretary of the Navy The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) General Counsel of the Navy Judge Advocate General Naval Criminal Investigative Service Naval Inspector General Headquarters Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Chaplain U.S. Marine Corps field organizations: see Organization of the United States Marine Corps Office of the Chief of Naval Operations: Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Director of Naval Reactors Chief of Chaplains Chief of Naval Personnel Surgeon General United States Navy field organizations: see Structure of the United States Navy Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Air Force Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Logistics) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Staff: Chief of Staff of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Chief of Chaplains Chief of Safety Chief Scientist Judge Advocate General Surgeon General U.S. Air Force field organizations: Major Commands Direct Reporting Units Field Operating Agencies Space Staff: Chief of Space Operations United States Space Force field organizations Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Joint Requirements Oversight Council Director of the Joint Staff Joint Staff National Military Command Center Alternate National Military Command Center National Defense University Joint Personnel Recovery Agency Combatant Commands Africa Command Central Command European Command Northern Command Indo-Pacific Command Southern Command Space Command Cyber Command Special Operations Command Strategic Command Transportation Command National Guard Bureau Chief of the National Guard Bureau Air National Guard Army National Guard Office of the Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service v t e Public-sector space agencies Africa ASAL GSSTC NARRS ESSTI NASRDA SANSA Americas North America CSA AEM NASA USSF South America CONAE ABE AEB DCTA INPE ITA CCE ABAE IVIC Asia Central Asia KazCosmos TNSA East Asia CNSA CALT CAST CCF CGWIC COSTIND NSPO JAXA ISAS NAL NASDA NICT USEF NADA KARI SaTReC South Asia SPARRSO ISRO Antrix Corp DoS NRSC SUPARCO Southeast Asia LAPAN MYSA PhilSA SSTA GISTDA Southwest Asia MAKA1 IAIO ISA SAHA ISA NCSR GORS TÜBİTAK UZAY UAESA (MBRSC) Europe ALR ArmCosmos MAKA1 BSA1 BelSPo SRTI CSO DTU Space ECSS ESA EUMETSAT EUSC CNES DLR HSC HSO ASI Luxinnovation SRON NSC PSA ROSA Roscosmos1 SRI1 VKO SSP INTA SNSA SSO TÜBİTAK UZAY UKSA SSAU1 Oceania ASA CSIRO NZSA World APSCO COSPAR IAA INTELSAT Interkosmos Intersputnik UNCOPUOS UNOOSA See also: Timeline of first orbital launches by country 1 Preceded by the Soviet space program Coordinates: 38°52′55″N 77°27′01″W / 38.88194°N 77.45028°W / 38.88194; -77.45028 Authority control GND: 10085576-3 ISNI: 0000 0004 0633 2583 LCCN: no95018457 VIAF: 268304840 WorldCat Identities: lccn-no95018457 Retrieved from 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