Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Acquisition: Issues for Congress

Abstract

Increasing calls for intelligence support and continuing innovations in intelligence technologies combine to create significant challenges for both the executive and legislative branches. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems are integral components of both national policymaking and military operations, including counterterrorism operations, but they are costly and complicated and they must be linked in order to provide users with a comprehensive understanding of issues based on information from all sources. Relationships among organizations responsible for designing, acquiring, and operating these systems are also complicated, as are oversight arrangements in Congress. These complications have meant that even though many effective systems have been fielded, there have also been lengthy delays and massive cost overruns. Uncertainties about the long-term acquisition plans for ISR systems persist even as pressures continue for increasing the availability of ISR systems in current and future military operations and for national policymaking.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 16, 2013
Accession Number
ADA579137

Entities

People

  • Marshall C. Erwin

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • C4I
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Congress
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Intelligence Community (United States)
  • Law
  • Military Operations
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Procurement
  • Reconnaissance Satellites
  • Surveillance
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.