THE NRO STAFF 12 October 1972

MEMORANDUM FOR DR. McLUCAS

SUBJECT: Some Thanights on the Organization and

of the NRO Staff

--TOP-SECREF

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WASHINGTON, D.C.

•

The NRO is under a lot of pressure. Here are some

examples:

OSD staff agencies (ASD(I), DDR&E) are achieving

some degree of supervisory authority over the engineering

management of the NRO. By engineering management I mean

advanced planning, scheduling, and budgeting.

NSA is making inroads in the operational area.

NSA would like to control the satellites in orbit but would

agree for the time being to a relationship, as provided in

NSCID 6, whereby NSA operates the satellite payload and the

NRO is in charge of satellite housekeeping and vehicle health.

I view the pressures from the DOD staff as very serious;

I believe the NSA and COMIREX pressures are very much less

serious. Here is why:

a. The management decision process of the NRO in

matters of vehicle types, budgets, and schedules (all of which

I call engineering management) is absolutely vital. It should

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be preserved against the normalizing and averaging down of

staff processes either at the OSD level or at the Army, Air

Force, or Navy level. The technical excellence of the NRO

collection systems cannot possibly be preserved if engineering

management of ,the program falls under routine DOD control.

b. With respect to operational aspects, the case for

perpetuating NRO control seems far more negotiable. For

instance:

NSA really has a good capability for Washingtonlevel supervision of field collection activities. The NRO SOC

could become good in this area, but then it would parallel and

duplicate the function that NSA wants and is competent to do.

The COMIREX, by charter, validates and sets

priorities for collection requirements from all intelligence

users. Many users believe that COMIREX is too slow

handle real t

In response to the pressures upon the NRO, therefore, I

believe the NRD Staff should (1) concentrate on doing the best

possible job of engineering management and (2) play down the

question of operational control. This ordering of priorities

within the NRO Staff would strengthen the NRO organization

over-all in two ways: •

. First, by concentrating on engineering management,

the NRO Staff would actually be more useful in its liaisons

with intelligence-oriented agencies (CIA, NSA, DIA, and others);

the Staff would be providing a needed and expert voice in

engineering and schedule matters rather than contesting for

authority over the intelligence mission as such.

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Second, the NRO would gain considerable suppoit from

NSA and elements of the CIA by eliminating NRO competition in

areas which they want, are better at, or are chartered to work

in.

If this line of reasoning makes sense, then it might be

a good idea to reorganize the NRO Staff. The engineering

(Programs) office and the SOC could be Combined into a new

Program-oriented engineering management office.in which several

teams of one or two engineers each would be es onsible . for all •

aspects of each collection program (li from advanced

planning through on-orbit operations.

I am still trying out these ideas on members of the Staff

and people outside the NRO. Also, I am looking at the personnel implications. In the meantime I am keeping the options

open for making this sort of change with no definite timetable in mind so far.

ra urn

rigadier General, USAF

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