The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense which 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. The NRO announced in 2023 that it plans within the following decade to quadruple the number of satellites it operates and increase the number of signals and images it delivers by a factor of ten.
The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior,cabinet-level United States government official,required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) and to direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (NIP). All IC agencies report directly to the DNI. The DNI also serves,upon invitation,as an advisor to the president of the United States,the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on all intelligence matters. The DNI,supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI),produces the President's Daily Brief (PDB),a classified document including intelligence from all IC agencies,handed each morning to the president of the United States.
The under secretary of defense for intelligence and security or USD(I&S) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that acts as the principal civilian advisor and deputy to the secretary of defense (SecDef) and deputy secretary of defense (DepSecDef) on matters relating to military intelligence and security. The under secretary is appointed as a civilian by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the president.
Christopher J. Scolese is an American engineer and intelligence official serving as the director of the National Reconnaissance Office. He was appointed the 19th director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO) on August 1,2019. Scolese was sworn into office on August 5,2019.
Donald MacLean Kerr,Jr. served as the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence from 2007 to 2009. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday,October 4,2007. In March 2009,he received the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.
Bruce Allen Carlson,was the 17th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He is a former four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the sixth Commander,Air Force Materiel Command,Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,Ohio. The command conducts research,development,test and evaluation,and provides acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. After over 37 years of service,he retired from the Air Force on January 1,2009. Carlson served as a general authority and a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 2009 to October 2015.
Scott F. Large is an American intelligence officer who served as the sixteenth Director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 2007 to 2009. He previously served as the Principal Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office from April to October 2007,and as the Central Intelligence Agency's Associate Deputy Director for Science and Technology.
Lieutenant General John T. "Tom" Sheridan retired from the US Air Force in August 2011. His last assignment was as Commander,Space and Missile Systems Center,Los Angeles AFB,California;he was succeeded by Ellen M. Pawlikowski in June 2011. He has been VP of the SI's National Security Space program since 16 April 2012,.
The Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO) of the United States is responsible to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence for all national space and assigned airborne reconnaissance activities. The DNRO provides top-level management direction to the NRO in response to Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence requirements.
Keith Ralph Hall is a United States government official who served as the 12th director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Martin Clark Faga was the tenth director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO).
Betty Jean Sapp is the former Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (DNRO). She served as a United States Air Force Officer in a variety of roles,before joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 1997. She was the first female Director of the NRO,serving nearly seven years.
Dennis D. Fitzgerald was the first Principal Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office
Susan K. Mashiko is a retired United States Air Force major general who served as the Deputy Director,National Reconnaissance Office,Chantilly,Virginia. Her responsibilities include assisting the director and principal deputy director in managing the strategic and tactical operations of the NRO. Also,as the commander,Air Force Space Command Element,she manages all air force personnel and resources assigned to the NRO and serves as the senior adviser to the DNRO on all military matters. Mashiko is the first Japanese American woman to be promoted to flag rank.
The 2012 National Reconnaissance Office space telescope donation to NASA was the declassification and donation to NASA of two identical space telescopes by the United States National Reconnaissance Office. The donation has been described by scientists as a substantial improvement over NASA's current Hubble Space Telescope. Although the telescopes themselves were given to NASA at no cost,the space agency must still pay for the cost of instruments and electronics for the telescopes,as well as the satellites to house them and the launch of the telescopes. On February 17,2016,the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was formally designated as a mission by NASA,predicated on using one of the space telescopes.
UPWARD was the code name,within the National Reconnaissance Office's Byeman Control System,for assistance given to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Apollo program. The camera designed to survey the lunar surface was a modification of the GAMBIT design and utilized a 1.5-inch (38 mm) focal length camera for a terrain mapping apparatus. This camera system was present on both the CORONA and GAMBIT survey systems.
Aerospace Data Facility-East (ADF-E),also known as Area 58 and formerly known as Defense Communications Electronics Evaluation and Testing Activity (DCEETA),is one of three satellite ground stations operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in the continental United States. Located within Fort Belvoir,Virginia,the facility is responsible for the command and control of reconnaissance satellites involved in the collection of intelligence information and for the dissemination of that intelligence to other U.S. government agencies.
Donna D. Shipton is a United States Air Force lieutenant general who serves as commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. The center is responsible for total life cycle management for aircraft,engines,munitions,electronic,computer,network,cyber and agile combat support systems. The center employs more than 28,000 people and has a budget of over $300 billion. Previously she served as military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics.
Christopher Stephen Povak is a United States Space Force major general who serves as the deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office and commander of the Space Force Element to the National Reconnaissance Office. He previously served as the deputy director of the Space Warfighting Analysis Center.
Michael Anthony Guetlein is a United States Space Force general who serves as the second vice chief of space operations. He recently served as the first commander of Space Systems Command from 2021 to 2024. He previously served as the deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 2019 to 2021.
