The Rise of Surveillance

<p>A number of recent congressional commissions have reviewed the Intelligence Community's agencies involved with space-based intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). In the past recommendations for some form of merger involving the National Security Agency (NSA) National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) have been proposed as a way to potentially improve space-based ISR performance. The Joint Staff has also recently asked whether this option should be pursued. Based on historical research and a survey of the general topic literature this paper argues that a merger between these three agencies will not improve the current- space-based ISR performance because its problems aren't related to structure. Instead the root problems are due to a missing space-based surveillance tool and a changing information process. This paper recommends following the guidance from the latest four congressional commissions from the November 2000 through January 2001 timeframe that recommend merging the NRO with the Air Force space efforts and concentrating on developing and deploying a space based surveillance system as the most effective way to improve space-based ISR performance.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>