Office of Space Reconnaissance

In 2000 National Commission for the Review of National Reconnaissance
Office made recommendation to form new Office of Space Reconnaissance.
A little bit later, in 2001 National Space Commission made similar
recommendation to form Strategic Reconnaissance Office to make leaps
in intelligence technology.

Two questions arose for me. I was looking for answer for a long time,
but didn't find clear one in the Internet, despite I'm very familiar
with web searching. Taking into consideration that "five-minute
conversation with the right person can be more enlightening than five
hours online", I really hope that I'll find irrefragable answer here.

First, is the Office of Space Reconnaissance within the NRO? And
second, if so, doesn't OSR duplicate the mission of NRO's Advanced
Systems & Technology Directorate.

I want to include short quotes from all materials I find on this
issue. That's all I know about this. And if somebody can make things
clear and add something to my understanding, I would greatly
appreciate help.


Related first question

From Aviation Week
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Director of Central
Intelligence George Tennet decided earlier this year to create a
highly classified organization within the National Reconnaissance
Office (NRO)--the designer of imaging and sigint satellites--to bring
about leaps in intelligence gathering technology.
http://www.aviationnow.com/content/p...10917/aw57.htm

Both the Space Commission and an earlier commission reviewing the NRO
stressed that NRO's focus on leading-edge research and development has
eroded because of the need to maintain legacy systems, although some
advance work is still being done (see p. 76). And both urged that the
skill be resuscitated. Details of how to create the highly specialized
organization are to be worked out by NRO director Keith Hall in the
coming weeks.
http://www.aviationnow.com/content/p...4/strategy.htm

From Pentagon's Official Press Release
Third, the Director of Central Intelligence and I are meeting
regularly to address intelligence matters and are establishing an
Executive Committee that we co-chair to review intelligence issues of
joint concern. We have requested the Director of the National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to examine how to establish an Office of
Space Reconnaissance within the NRO and report back to us next month.
We will keep the defense and intelligence oversight committees
apprised of our future course of action.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/..._bt201-01.html

From US News & World Report
Last year, U.S. News has learned, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
and CIA Director George Tenet created a new top-secret office to
develop cutting-edge spy satellite technologies. The office is an arm
of the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology. The new office
maintains bogus commercial "cover" facilities outside the agency's
headquarters in Langley, Va., and CIA officials are talking to defense
contractors about developing new satellites. "Tenet formed the
office," says a former senior Pentagon official, "because he wanted
exquisite intelligence collection capabilities." According to several
former Pentagon and CIA officials with close ties to U.S.
intelligence, the office was created, in part, because of the NRO's
declining performance. The CIA denies this but won't discuss the new
satellite operation.
The article is paid-per-view, but it can be found at the keepmedia.com
for free.

Challenges Facing the Defense Department in the Twenty-First Century
Cheryl J. Roby
If it's within the NRO, good idea. If it's going to be separate and
distinct from the NRO, we really need to decide what its job would be
and how it would perform it. I do understand their concern. Would we
take people away from the NRO to establish the cadre of technically
capable, competent people in this new office? They've got the most
experience. They've got the talent. They've got engineers who have
really wowed us with the capabilities they've developed. The answer:
Probably. Well, then, are we going to erode the ability of the NRO to
continue providing us the needed sources of space intelligence? I
think that's the dilemma that they're facing. We just don't know what
the secretary will decide. He might decide that he will allow this to
be stood up, but within the NRO. It is not clear at this time.
http://www.pirp.harvard.edu/pubs_pdf...roby-i01-3.pdf


Related second question

From Toffler Associates
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Technology Enterprise and the
Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate (AS&T) are a relatively
new architecture for managing NRO R&D. AS&T is the steward of the NRO
Technology Enterprise. AS&T also manages long-term R&D of new
phenomenologies and new system concepts. The NRO Directorates each
manage shorter-term R&D to advance existing systems and improve
deployed systems. In addition, the NRO directorate R&D offices are
partners with AS&T in the development of future systems. AS&T sees
itself as the "chief revolutionary" in the process of revolutionizing
global reconnaissance.
http://www.toffler.com/publications/pub_nro.shtml

The report revealed a yearning for greater secrecy on the part of its
authors. Among its recommendations was the creation of an "Office of
Space Reconnaissance" within the NRO to work on advanced systems.
According to the report, the office "would operate from facilities
separate from other space reconnaissance activities, and it would be
covered by a new security compartment. The purpose would be to
establish effective secrecy to shield the technologies and collection
techniques under development." The authors imply that the current
headquarters, with its "Byeman" security compartment (the Byeman
control system is used to protect information related to NRO
collection systems), is not sufficient to maintain secrecy, and that
the Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate, established as a
result of the 1996 review, is not adequately performing its mission.
http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/20...richelson.html


That's all. I'll wait impatiently for the answer.
Thanks a lot in advance,

Elnur