White House to Get Intel Satellite Briefing

By Amy Butler

The White House is expected to get its first official briefing on the way forward in buying secret intelligence-gathering satellites as soon as next week, say industry and Pentagon officials.

The intelligence community (IC) is pushing for high-end technology and larger satellites for the electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) collection mission. The Pentagon, by contrast, advocates for medium-class satellites in a lower orbit.

Though those would have shorter in-orbit life, Defense Department officials argue this can be mitigated by purchasing more of them in a stable profile, giving industry more predictable work and, possibly, establishing a production line.

Confidence is low in some pockets of the Pentagon that the IC – a multi-agency realm including many DOD agencies - could achieve its goal of initial launch in 10 years if it pursues a larger satellite with newer, less mature technologies.

Officials in the military and intelligence community say that Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are in agreement about the options on the table. This strategy is the first cohesive approach since the implosion of the EI/IR portion of the Boeing-led Future Imagery Architecture program. That work was shifted to Lockheed Martin.

Photo: NRO