MilitarySpot.com

Serving the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard

Camp Lejeune Claims
| VA Loans
Follow MilitarySpot:
 
  • Home
  • Enlist
    • Join The Army
    • Join The Navy
    • Join The Air Force
    • Join The Marines
    • Join The Coast Guard
    • Join The National Guard
    • ASVAB
    • Army Physical Fitness Test
    • Military Draft
    • Prior Service Army Enlistment
  • Career
    • Join the Military
    • Jobs for Military and Civilians
    • Career Center
    • Prior Service Army Enlistment
    • Criminal Justice
  • Education
    • Online Schools
    • Spouse Education Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • Military Schools
    • Criminal Justice
  • Benefits
    • Army Benefits
    • Navy Benefits
    • Air Force Benefits
    • Marine Corps Benefits
    • National Guard Benefits
    • Coast Guard Benefits
    • Veteran Benefits
    • Basic Pay Rates
    • Allowances
    • Special & Incentive Pay
    • Military Spouse Education Benefits
    • VA Education Benefits
    • GI Bill
  • News
    • Headline News
  • Finance
    • Debt Relief
    • Military Pay Rates
    • Military Personal Loans
    • VA Loans
    • Military Star Card
    • Military MyPay
  • Spouses
    • School Finder
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • PCS, DITY, & Moving
    • Pay Rates
    • MyCAA
    • Education Benefits
  • Community
    • Military Games
    • Military Reunions
    • Classifieds
    • Photo Gallery
    • Buddy Finder
    • MilitarySpot Pinups
    • Military Bases
  • Resources
    • Military Alphabet
    • Military Reunions
    • Military Acronyms
    • Currency Converter
    • Military Tools
    • Ranks
    • Military Time
    • Military Tactics
    • Military Discounts
    • Military Games
    • Military Videos
    • Photo Gallery
    • Infographics
    • How To
  • Travel

Reconnaissance Office Looks for More Commercial Services

AUG. 5, 2022 – In May, the National Reconnaissance Office announced the award of three contracts to private-sector companies for commercial imagery. It’s something the agency would like to do more of, said its director.

“Certainly we are looking for more commercial services, Chris Scolese said, during a discussion Thursday with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “We kind of have a motto of ‘buy what we can, build what we must.’ But really what it comes down to is the commercial market has really grown. And we’re seeing a lot of capability out there that the commercial companies are providing.”

Looking to the private sector to provide satellite imagery, he said, can be less costly but equally valuable than what the NRO might do with its own assets, Scolese said. It also means the NRO can direct resources towards intelligence gathering that’s important to the warfighter but has no commercial value.

“It … allows us to focus on those things … that are critically important that have either no commercial value at all, but have incredible intelligence value, that we need to go off and do,” he said. “And oftentimes, those are extremely complex systems that would be very expensive to develop and therefore … the lack of commercial interest in them.”

Right now, Scolese said, NRO’s relationships with the three companies it signed to contracts in May are going well. But he said the NRO is looking forward to bringing in new entrants and new capabilities, and that the agency has a plan for that.

“About yearly we’re going to … go off and ask for commercial companies to come in with their ideas so that we can engage early, prior to having to award of contract, so they can understand what the government’s needs are and we can understand what their capabilities are,” he said. “When it comes time to go off and have a contract like we have for electro-optical imagery, for radar, they’ll be ready and we’ll be ready.”

Commercial imagery isn’t the only place NRO has opted to work with partners. Launch is another such area. The U.S. continues to launch capabilities into space from both the Eastern and Western Ranges, which include locations such as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

But the NRO has also now partnered with New Zealand to launch smaller assets into space and will soon work with the U.K. on air-launching assets as well. Scolese said it gives his agency more flexibility as it tries to proliferate the number of assets it has in orbit.

“Having the capability to launch pretty much from almost anywhere in the world gives us great flexibility,” he said. “It adds to our resilience, because we’re not relying on just one or two launch bases. It allows us to reconstitute if we want to do that. It gives us a greater flexibility because we now have the opportunity to sort of pick launch bases.”

Also, he said, launching from locations like New Zealand or the U.K. has another added benefit as well.

“I think it sends a message to the world that we really value our partnerships with our international communities,” he said.

BY C. TODD LOPEZ, DOD NEWS

Comments

Filed Under: News

  • News
  • Enlist
  • Education
  • Career
  • Finance

Kentucky Guard Helps Community After Flooding

AUGUST 15, 2022 – As flood waters rose in Eastern Kentucky, the call went out to the National Guard that their help would be needed. In the hours following the first rainfall, hundreds of Kentucky Guard Soldiers were called on to provide rescue operations, supply distribution and security. For Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Dyal from […]

Army Develops Future Soldier Preparatory Course

JULY 27, 2022 – In response to the most challenging recruiting environment since the start of the all-volunteer force in 1973, the Army is implementing an innovative new program to prepare recruits who are en-route to initial military training to meet or exceed our rigorous standards. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course pilot program, which is […]

Top 5 University Scholarships for Military in the UK

JUNE 20, 2022 – The cost of a college education can be daunting and unaffordable for many university students in the UK. For the students who have set their hearts on joining the military, there are several scholarships available for them.  These scholarships help military students overcome the financial challenges of attending college. A University […]

Federal Hiring Summit for Transitioning Service Members

AUGUST 10, 2022 – Commander Navy Installation Command Headquarters, Fleet and Family Support Center is hosting a federal hiring summit Aug. 15-18. Although the summit is hosted by the Navy, all military personnel and their spouses can attend this virtual event. Those who are preparing for their end of service or actively transitioning out of […]

Military Consumer Month Focuses on Financial Literacy

JULY 29, 2022 – With inflation soaring in the U.S. and elsewhere, many among the military community, including reservists and veterans, are struggling to make financial ends meet and are in need of a good battle plan to beat their budget foes. Anyone in such a predicament would do well to employ the Department of […]

Recent Posts

  • Kentucky Guard Helps Community After Flooding
  • AF MQ-9s Close Out Successful RIMPAC Exercise
  • B-52 Lands In Maine After 29 Years
  • 4 Aspects of Civilian Life After Leaving the Military
  • Ukrainian Forces Make Some Gains in North, South
MAINMENU




SITESEARCH
Can't find something? Try using our site search to dig through our entire site.



Still having trouble? Try the Advanced Search to refine your searches.
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIBE
Sign Up To Receive Information, Updates and Special Officers from MilitarySpot.com.



Don't miss an issue! Jump in the Newsletter Archives to catch up on previous issues.
FOLLOWMILITARY SPOT

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & StumbleUpon and more. Keep up with MilitarySpot.com news & updates. We also have an RSS Feed.

Advertise | About | Contact | Feedback | Unsubscribe | DMCA | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
 
Copyright 2004-2022 Sun Key Publishing. All Rights Reserved.



 
This is not the official recruiting website of the U.S. Military. The site you are on is run by Sun Key Publishing, a private company, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with the U.S. Military.