NRO pushes back on criticism of satellite intelligence delays

WASHINGTON — The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is defending its role in providing satellite-based intelligence to the U.S. military, pushing back against claims that it isn’t delivering timely information needed for critical operations.

Speaking Oct. 17 at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, NRO Deputy Director Troy Meink underscored the agency’s efforts to rapidly deploy a new network of satellites designed to track ground targets in near real time.

Meink addressed concerns that intelligence agencies responsible for collecting and analyzing data from spy satellites have struggled to provide the military with data fast enough to meet tactical needs. Military leaders have voiced frustrations over delays, leading to speculation about a “turf war” between intelligence agencies and the Pentagon over who controls satellite tasking and sets priorities for data delivery.

Meink dismissed these criticisms, stating that the NRO works hand-in-hand with both military and intelligence agencies. “The data we collect serves both military (Title 10) and intelligence (Title 50) customers at the same time, even when they have unique requirements,” he said. “We have a long history of joining forces with other government agencies to deliver that capability.”

Target tracking

One of the NRO’s key initiatives is a partnership with the U.S. Space Force to create a “ground moving target indicator” program. This effort aims to close a gap left by the retirement of older surveillance aircraft, such as the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), by enabling the military to track moving targets on the ground using satellites.

This initiative is part of the broader deployment of the NRO’s proliferated low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, which will provide near real-time intelligence for military and intelligence users alike. The first wave of these satellites — over 100 — are expected to be fully operational by the end of the year, according to NRO Director Christopher Scolese. These new systems will allow faster collection and delivery of critical intelligence, particularly for military commanders in the field.

Deluge of data

Despite the progress, Meink acknowledged that processing the sheer volume of data collected by the growing constellation of satellites remains a challenge. The issue isn’t who controls the satellites, he said, echoing earlier comments by Scolese, “it’s a data problem.” The NRO’s new constellation of satellites, equipped with a range of sensors, is generating more information than ever before, making it harder to process and fuse the data quickly enough to meet operational demands.

The complexity of integrating data from multiple sources — satellites, drones and aircraft — is another hurdle. The NRO has enlisted commercial companies that specialize in artificial intelligence (AI) to help sort through and analyze the data more efficiently. “We have to fuse unstructured and structured data from multiple sensors to give users what they need, faster and with greater accuracy,” Meink said.

The increased data flow offers opportunities to enhance decision-making in the field, but also raises significant challenges, particularly around managing the diversity of data sources and extracting actionable intelligence. “It’s about pulling out patterns from large amounts of distinct observations and making sense of it all,” Meink explained.

Collaboration with DoD

While the NRO is an intelligence agency, Meink emphasized its deep connection to the military, noting that nearly a third of its workforce comes from the Department of Defense, particularly the Space Force and Air Force. “We’ve always supported the needs of warfighters,” he said. “We are a joint team.”

Meink reiterated that tracking moving targets from space is not a new mission for the NRO but acknowledged the rapidly evolving nature of the task. “What’s changed is the speed and complexity of what we need to deliver. The constellation we’re building today is designed to keep pace with those new demands.”

He assured that the NRO is already working closely with top military leaders, including Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, to ensure the expanded LEO constellation meets military needs.

“The timelines we’re talking about today are timelines the NRO is already supporting,” Meink concluded. “This is not a new mission for us.”