DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

WASHINGTON, O. C. 20350 

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13Y.E.23069.66 

27 OCT 1966 

MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR OF DEFENSE RESEARCH AND 

ENGINEERING • 

Subject: MOL/NRO Tasks for Ocean Surveillanco 

In a memorandum of 12 Soptombor 1966, you commented on a Navy 

proposal for an experimont using a high r000lution radar to bo dovolopod 

in conjunction with the MOL program. :Zou also recommended that the 

Air Forco (NRO) provide —Mrection system management, with the aosis. . 

tanco of technical personnel from tho Navy. 4 concur with this =common. 

dation. Arrangemonto will be mado for the assignment of one naval officor 

of the rank of Commandor or Lieutenant Commander to the NRO to assist 

in the devolopment of this typo of collection systom and to provido intor. 

face with the Navleo collection requircmonto and final processing functions. 

I am of tho opinion that it is also desirable to assign ono or two naval 

officers to the. staff of Brigadier General John L. MARTIN, USAF at tho 

Space Systems Division in support of this project. Theo° officers will be 

approptiatoly dotailed as additional duty assignments from the Navy. Space 

Syctomo Activity at SSD pending moro formal arrangemonto with Gonoral 

MARTIN. 

Tho Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research and Devolopmont) has 

recently reported to you on the status and plans for improving tho Navy's 

capabilities for proc000ing Communist Naval and Naval.relatod air and 

misoilo activity as an intogral part of the Doi) warning and curront intel. 

ligenco functions. While the importance of this activity is indeed our ma• 

jor concern, tho movement of Communist, and to some extent Allied as 

well as Free World, merchant chipping is a, significant part of the Navy's 

ocean surveillance system in direct support of major national intolligonco 

rcquirements. 
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Fundamentally, the problem of ourfaco chip ocean surveillance involvoa detection, location, copra° and speed, and identification and intone 

Lion. Utilizing all availablo aourcoa of information, a large porcentago of. 

ourfaco chipping can ovcntually be corrolatod and idontifiod ao normal 

trade. The basic problem in ocean curvoillanco is the development of a 

rcaaonablo mothod of improving our dotection capabilities which would 

Permit a more rapid correlation with available. information. Surface voncola which do not correlate would therefore claaoify as unknowns and would 

bo subject to further determinations and actions. dependent, as an example), 

on the political situation inithq area involved. 

It appear') that a oatollito borne radar curvoillanco syotom comp000d 

of cameral unmanned low altitudo sate:a/Ito° could function ao an irnnortant, 

but related, cancer in the Navylo overall, all-courco, ocean surveillance 

clr ate nma. Thia multi.catollito °vat= candela:1g of at least throo polar or. 

biting satellites should be capablo of tracking medium sized ourfaco voaa.cla in .selectable areas by using_scaucntial pass techniq_un. The satellite 

collected information including target, range and bearing, and time would 

bo tranomittod to our ground Automatic Data Processing Syatom for cor- • 

relation, evaluation, and distribution. 

Thoro is now a need to sunport developments in at least three important areas associated with a space borne radar. Theo° include; tho doter■ 

mination and design of an adequate electronic data proccooing, otorago and. 

readout system compatible with tho volumo of information obtainable by a 

radar; the design of a reliable long4ifo radar and the associated cornponones; and tho design of a long-life, epaco-cafo, relatively high output, porter - 

supply. Those developments will form the basis for the determination of the 

adequacy, cost0effoctivenosa and•ocheclulo of a "detection only" ourvaillance 

tIrpo radar which would collect tho location of rather discrete "blob types" 

of information as opposed to the more sophisticated, more technically difficult, high resolution roconnaiocanco typo radar system which would kayo' 

an inteliigonco collection capability as well. Ilowevor, a reconnaiocanco - 

- „typo radar system may be less coct0cffoctive since a multi-satellite ayetcm is basic to ocean surveillance which involvoa the movement of chips. 

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The Project QUILL exporiment referred to in your memorandum was 

a profitablo evaluation of the intclligonco worth of a catellito oido-looking 

radar:. The roculto of Chic oxporiment indicated that this tochniquo could 

prcvo to be a valuable courco of intelVL-;*7•`!'" tIndor. corta!n 0:aroma° of 

political/military condition°. Elowovor, (13 ■ n , a docioion to 

pp.rrnit the two ol'activo detection from °pace over foreign land arca°, 

porn and harbors, or ovor open cons has not boon cotablichad. rt door; 

annoar, howover, that a docidion to pormit tho two of an active epaco dotoct;on radar ovor tho open Goa bo a leo° difficult docipion than one 

involving foreign land arcac or porta and harbor°, and may not, in fact, 

include covcro cocurity =ammo. 

I want to express my appreciation for your poroonal intoreot in the 

project and to aecuro you that the Navy =cognize° the need to ovaluato 

tho potontial° of Chic, oyotom in an effort to provido an orderly, progroooivo program. I am thoroforo hopoful that early docioiono can bo roachod 

which will pormit the continuation of this oatollito ocean ourvoillanco pro.. 

ject. 

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