Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto speaks about the beginnings of Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Response in the Air Force and where ISR is headed now Sept. 17, 2013, at the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, Washington, D.C. Looking at the historical events, Otto showed the ways the Air Force can move forward in current times. Otto is Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)Air Force ISR
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto speaks about the beginnings of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the Air Force and where ISR is headed now Sept. 17, 2013, at the Air Force Association's  Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C. Looking at the historical events, Otto showed the ways the Air Force can move forward in current times. Otto is Air Force's deputy chief of staff for ISR. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto discusses the current state of Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Response and where it is headed for the force and the Nation as a whole, Sept. 17, 2013, at the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, Washington, D.C. The Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, D.C., explained to the attendees ISR is focused on three things: full spectrum awareness, world-class expertise and delivering decision advantage. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)Air Force ISR
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto discusses the current state of Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and where it is headed for the force and the nation as a whole, Sept. 17, 2013, at the Air Force Association's 2013 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C. Otto explained to the attendees that ISR is focused on three things: full spectrum awareness, world-class expertise and delivering decision advantage. Otto is Air Force's deputy chief of staff for ISR. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

ISR official urges looking to history to face future challengesPublished Sept. 18, 2013
                    
                    By Senior Airman Tabitha N. Haynes
                    
                    
                    Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs
            **WASHINGTON (AFNS) --**At the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 17, Lt. Gen. Robert P. Otto discussed the current state and way ahead for Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, and the role Airmen play in its planning and impact.
 
As the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for ISR, Otto urged taking lessons from history to help navigate future challenges.
 
“While some things change in ISR, some things stay the same,” Otto said. “Lost in some of these stories is the in-depth work that goes on in order to bring them to reality.”
 
Otto cited Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, an airborne ISR pioneer who used aero balloons, a technique mirrored during Operation Enduring Freedom with the Aerostats.
 
“History is a conversation with the past about the future,” the general said, adding that ISR will focus on three things: full spectrum awareness, world-class expertise, and delivery of decision advantage. “Our vision for 2023 is an Air Force enterprise that seamlessly digests the data from an even wider expanse of sensors and sources, and swiftly conducts analysis so that we can deliver that decision advantage.”
 
The Air Force will collaborate with other services to strengthen its capabilities, Otto said, but ultimately, Airmen are the power behind Air Force ISR. 
“We can have the most exquisite and technologically advanced sensors and platforms, but if we can’t interpret the data (by an Airman), or make sense of what they are providing in a time frame that is responsive, the joint warfighter is not effective,” Otto explained.
Otto leads more than 20,000 officers, enlisted personnel and civilian who are responsible for the intelligence and security of the Air Force. Otto is a 1982 distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy and pilot with more than 2,800 hours in several aircraft.intelligence 



surveillance and reconnaissance 



ISR

Related Links
        LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROBERT P. "BOB" OTTO
                                Jan. 30, 2015
                                Lt. Gen. Robert P. "Bob" Otto is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for policy formulation, planning, evaluation, oversight, and leadership
            
            Air Force ISR Agency Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander emphasizes five focus areas during AFA Warfare Symposium
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil