tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post115150531278504544..comments2023-11-03T09:36:22.100-04:00Comments on In From the Cold: How Times Have ChangedGeorge Smileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07049707648660651119noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-1151733058975931562006-07-01T01:50:00.000-04:002006-07-01T01:50:00.000-04:00The NRO is a terrible organization. It is not eve...The NRO is a terrible organization. It is not even technically a member of the intelligence community since it provides no intelligence or analysis. The NRO is basically a procurement agency that buys stuff for other agencies, primarily the NSA and NGA. That's why its staff is so small and consists almost entirely of acquisition managers. The NSA and NGA submit technical requirements and the NRO lobbies to fill those requirements with space assets it procures from the defense industry. It doesn't even design or build the satellites. Like all large government procurement beaurocracies, the only measure of NRO's success or failure is the size of its budget, so it does everything it can to increase it. There have been several instances where NSA SIGINT requirements would have been better and more cheaply fulfilled with non-space based systems. But the NRO, through its powerful contractor lobby in congress, won the battle to fulfill those roles with expensive satellite systems to the financial detriment of the intelligence community.<BR/><BR/>The NRO is nothing but a giant budget leech. In my perfect world, the NRO would be disbanded and its procurement functions would be moved where they belong - to the agencies that actually need and use space-based intelligence. The NRO is a middle-man we don't need.<BR/><BR/>As for the classification question, let's get real. The specific capabilities of our satellites are classified. Viewing them pre-launch gives away nothing since they're shown in a packaged condition. The orbit tells much more about their purpose and anyone with an elementary knowledge of physics can pretty much determine what their orbit will be simply by watching what direction the launch vehicle travels after liftoff.<BR/><BR/>Besides, imagery satellites are no longer as useful as they once were. They still have a role in tracking OOB's and I&W, but real-time video imagery from UAV's is where it's at in a tactical environment.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05924320590375035146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10820485.post-1151521703114353212006-06-28T15:08:00.000-04:002006-06-28T15:08:00.000-04:00Sadly, you are correct. There are countless web s...Sadly, you are correct. There are countless web sites that provide far too much info (IMO) on these programs, and--making matters worse--anyone with a decent-quality telescope and a P.C. can get into the space tracking/analysis business. <BR/><BR/>However, there ought to be limits to the "freebies" we provide to potential adversaries. IMO, a video tour of a spy satellite clean room should have never received a green light.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12712369389411084085noreply@blogger.com