Military Transformation: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (CRS Report for Congress)
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Release Date |
Revised Jan. 17, 2003 |
Report Number |
RL31425 |
Report Type |
Report |
Authors |
Judy G. Chizek, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The Department of Defense (DOD) indicates it is undertaking a major alteration in its
capabilities,
from a force designed to fight the Soviet Union to one tailored to 21st century adversaries including
terrorism. This shift has been prompted by the perception of a changing threat and improved
technology, especially information technology. As the military services attempt to increase the
agility and versatility of their weapon systems, they also see a need to increase the capabilities of
military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to support the new weapon systems and
operating methods against these new threats.
To judge whether service activities are likely to help the military "transform," the head of
DOD's Office of Force Transformation, retired Vice Admiral Arthur Cebrowski (U.S. Navy) has
proposed three criteria--whether the proposed capability can communicate and operate easily in
conjunction with the other services, whether it helps the military develop new methods of
warfighting, and whether it will be useful against a wide range of threats. In addition, ISR activities
should, in the aggregate, provide a world-wide perspective of the threat, "fuse" all types of
intelligence into one picture, access extensive details about the enemy, and monitor specific targets
for long periods of time.
All of the services are planning ISR programs which exhibit at least some attributes of
transformation. Many observers believe military ISR has already achieved some transformation, as
shown in the war in Afghanistan by the military's ability to detect a target and destroy it within
minutes. The military's ability to move intelligence quickly has improved dramatically. However,
many observers are concerned that analysis may be lagging behind. Proposals to make revolutionary
changes in analysis include using contractors to produce competing unclassified analyses, developing
artificial intelligence capabilities for database work, and establishing more operations analysis
centers.
The military intelligence community is supported by the national intelligence community,
which even before the September 11 attacks was under intense scrutiny. Therefore, the aspects of
the national intelligence community's operations in which Congress has expressed interest directly
affect the quality of military intelligence. In addition, DOD's plans for improving its ISR
capabilities raise potential issues for Congress with regard to cost, the balancing of potentially
competing efforts to improve the flow of intelligence and the quality of the data, and the support of
military leadership. Finally, the consequences of the military's role in homeland defense, and
intelligence community reform may generate concern. Discussion of these issues is provided as
background as Congress considers ISR programs as part of defense and intelligence authorization
and appropriations legislation. This report will not be updated.