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DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

WASHINGTON

Omen or TI Asournorr INculeTOJW 22 October 1965

MEMORANDUM FOR: General Martin SAFSP 411111.11.0.011 ...‘

General Geary, AFRDR

Colonel Steakley, JRC

SUBJECT: NRO Management Documents

In furtherance and amplification of the 11 Aug 1965

Agreement for Reorganization of the National Reconnaissance

Program, the DNRO desires to issue and keep current appropriate

NRP management documents on matters of a continuing nature.

Three general categories of management documents are

under consideration:

A General Management Series which will.include

documents on such matters as the concept of the NRP, detailed

functions and responsibilities of the principal participating

organizations in the NRP, coordination with NASA, etc.

A Project Management Series which will include

documents on such matters as the general functions and responsibilities of all System Project Directors, special project

management arrangements wherein sub-system responsibilities

assigned to more than one Service or Agency (for example:

CORONA; etc), etc.

3. A Support Activities Management Series which

will include procedural documents on such matters as programming, budgeting, security, film processing and production,

etc.

All such NRO directives will be prepared first in draft

form and the views of appropriate NRP participants solicited

prior to publication. When published, these types of documents

will be distributed to all major NRP participants.

•

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Attached is a draft of the first document in the General

Nanagement Series, subject: "The National Reconnaissance

Program." Your concurrence and/or comments are requested

both on the basic concept it sets forth and the specific

contents. In your review, please keep in mind'that this is

the basic conceptual document for a series and is not intended

to be overly detailed.

Your comments on the attached draft are requested by

5 November. Additionally, your views and suggestions on

appropriate subjects for inclusion in the three management

series are invited at any time.

James Q. Reber

...peputy Director

National Reconnaissance Office

atch

draft NRP Directive

No. GNS-1, 20 Oct 65

2
DRAFT

NRP DIRECTIVE NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE

NO. 215-1 Washington, 20 October 1965

Management 

THE. NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE PROGRAM

!mammary: This document describes the concept of the National

Reconnaissance Progran'(HRP); outlines the scope of the program;

identifies the principal participants, their roles, responsi

bilities, and relationships to each other; and establishes basic

management principles for major projects, program security, and

communications matters.

Index

Section 

Definitions

Enabling Authority

General Concept

Scope of the NRP

Management Responsibilities

NRP Organizational Concept

Functions and Responsibilities of NRP Organizations

Project Management

Security

Communications

11. Effective Date "ND" 4NM

SvSTEM ONLY
1. DEFINITIONS:

In the context of this document, the following definitions

apply:

Project: A major undertaking toward a specific

objective which requires significant personnel, resources,

and effort--i.e., System Project, Sub-System Project, etc.

Program: A major grouping of projects and activities--

i.e., National Reconnaissance Program, CIA Reconnaissance

Programs, DOD Space Reconnaissance Programs, etc.

2. ENABLING AUTHORITY:

"Agreement for Reorganization of the National Reconnaissance Program", dated 11 August 1965, signed by the Deputy

Secretary of Defense and Director of Central Intelligence.

DoD Directive TS 5105.23, dated 1965.

CIA Directive , dated , 1965.

Deputy Secretary of Defense memorandum, for multiple

addressees, re Appointment of Director, National Reconnaissance

Office, dated 1 October 1965.

2
3. GENERAL CONCEPT:

The NRP is a single program, national in character,

to meet the intelligence needs of the Government under a

strong national leadership, for the development, management,

control and operation of all projects, both current and long

range for the collection of intelligence and of mapping and

geodetic information obtained through overflights (excluding

peripheral reconnaissance operations).

The NRP normally is responsive directly and solely to

intelligence requirements established by the United States

Intelligence Board. During periods of general hostilities,

the NRP is responsive solely and directly to the requirements of

the Secretary of Defense.

The NRP includes satellite, aircraft, drone, and

balloon projects, plus certain support activities essential to

their conduct, of the DoD and CIA. The NRP is managed by the

National Reconnaissance Office (NED), a separate agency of the

DoD.

Operational missions of the NRP are subject to the

prior approval of, the 303 Committee.

3 CONTROL SYS

HANDLE V'PM

ONLY
4. SCOPE OF THE NRP:

The NRP essentially is a peace-time/cold war clandestine

undertaking of the United States. Its primary purpose is the

conduct of reconnaissance overflights of so-called "denied"

territory. In the context of the NRP, "denied" territory may

be defined as those areas of the world controlled by nations

openly hostile to the United States, and/or the sovereign

territories of those Governments whose permissiOn has been

neither solicited nor granted for visual, photographic, or

electronic overhead reconnaissance conducted by or for the

USA.

Unless specifically exempted (in terms of geographic

areas, categories of military operations, or specific military

missions) by the Secretary of Defense, the NRP includes all

peace-time/cold war satellite, aircraft, drone, and balloon

reconnaissance overflights of "denied" territory. •

5. MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. The Secretary of Defense has the ultimate responsibility for the management and operation of the NRP.
The Secretary of Defense has established the National

Reconnaissance Office (NRO) as a separate agency of the DoD,

and appointed a Director (DNRO) thereof, responsible to him

for the overall management and conduct of the NRP.

An.NRP Executive Committee, consisting of the Deputy

Secretary of Defense, the Director of Central Intelligence and

the Special Assistant to the President for Science and

Technology has been established to guide and participate in the

formulation of the NRP through the DNRO.

d. Designated DoD and CIA Program and/or Project Directors;

as appropriate, are responsible to the DNRO for specifically

identified portions of the NRP.

6. NRP ORGANIZATIONAL CONCEPT:

a. The NRP organization shall consist of the following

major elements:

A National Reconnaissance Office, encompassing

a Director (the DNRO), a Deputy Director (the DDNRO), the NRO

Staff, and the NRO Comptroller.

A DoD Space Reconnaissance Programs Office,

encompassing a Director, plus personnel, units, facilities,

and/or equipment commanded and/or controlled by him for the

conduct of assigned responsibilities in the NRP.

5

amimmo CONTROL
A DoD Air:craft Reconnaissance Programs Office,

encompassing a Director, plus the personnel, units, facilities,

and/or equipment commanded and/or controlled by him for the

conduct of assigned responsibilities in the NRP.

A CIA Reconnaissance Programs Office, encompassing

a Director, plus the personnel,elements, facilities, and/or

equipment supervised and/or controlled by him for the conduct of

assigned responsibilities in the NRP.

(5) The Joint Reconnaissance Center, JCS (only for

the conduct of those aircraft and drone overflights of "denied"

territory considered a part of the NRP).

The NRP organization is "line" in the sense that the

Program Directors specified in paragraphs 6a(2) through 6a(5)

are responsive directly and solely to the NRO for NRP matters.

The number of organizational entities (i.e., the NRO

Staff, offices of Program Directors) and individuals who

devote their full attention to NRP matters will be kept as

small as possible. As necessary, by appropriate arrangements

(particularly, in DoD), larger groups will be controlled

through overt, additional duty assignments of the principals

involved. Thus, the identified and knowledgeable persons

directly involved in NRP matters may be kept quite small and

6

"" • " : • • ' ". ' 019:-V
more easily safeguarded—from a security standpoint--although

the sum total of personnel and resources directly controlled

is necessarily large.

Where appropriate, persons or agencies will be

designated as "go-betweens" for NRP participants and other

Government Agencies (AF, Navy NASA, etc) so that the NRP can

take maximum advantage of the resources, knowledge, and

technology developed, in any program and vice versa.

The NRO and NRP participant organizations will not

have a "table of organization" or manpower billet structure,

as such. Rather, participating and parent organizations will

man the NRP organizational elements at agreed-to (or, as required)

• manpower levels, retaining the manpower spaces in the Department

or Agency concerned under suitable security cover. .

f. Maximum specific authority along with responsibility

will be delegated by the DNRO to the Directors cited in paragraphs

6a(2) through 6a(5). The most practical and streamlined management procedures (for example, joint rather than sequential

reviews) will be employed. Only the minimum formalized documents

and records consistent with good management will be maintained.

7

NANDLC VI

CONTROL sr.:7.nm ON:e
AMOLE V

•• • -` ;7." *.: 4 ON

7. FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF NRP ORGANIZATIONS:

A detailed functions and responsibilities directive

will be issued for the principal participants in the NRP and

will amplify on the general statements contained in this

section.

DNRO/DDNRO:

The responsibilities of the DNRO/DDNRO are specified

in the NRP Agreement (Reference 2a). The DNRO is the Director

of the National Reconnaissance Program and is responsible to

the Secretary of Defense for the management and conduct of

the overall program. The DDNRO, as principal assistant to

the DNRO, acts with the full authority of the DNRO in the

latter's absence, incapacitation, or delegation, on any and

all affairs of the National Reconnaissance Program (plans,

policies, programs, etc).

c. The NRO Staff:

The principal function of the NRO Staff is to assist

and/or act for the DNRO, as requested, in the mangement and

conduct of the NRP. The Staff is jointly manned with furl-time

DoD and CIA personnel, serving a tour of duty on an inter-agency

assignment basis, who are responsible and responsive solely to

the Director, NRO Staff (or intermediate Staff supervisor) for

NRP matters. The Director, NRO Staff is responsible to the DNRO

8 for:
Monitoring the planning, programming, and program/

project implementation of the overall NRP.

In the case of satellite projects, establishing

both long and short range launch schedules, orbit selections,

mission target programs and options programmed into each flight

vehicle, on-orbit payload tasking selections, decisions to

place on-orbit vehicles in a dormant mode, and early mission

termination for intelligence purposes. In this capacity, and

as appropriate, the Satellite Operations Center of the NRO

Staff utilizes direct communications links with the Satellite

and with the Project

Directors.

In the case of aircraft operations, reviewing plans

.for operational missions, securing of approval for overflight,

insuring that adequate coordination has been accomplished

between NRP activities, and monitoring mission results. The

establishment of specific mission dates and flight plans

generally are left to the discretion of the Project Directors.

Maintaining the principal NRP interface with the

United States Intelligence Board's Committee on Overhead

Reconnaissance and the primary users of NRP results.

9
Keeping designated personnel in the DoD, CIA,

and other appropriate Government Agencies informed on the

content and status of the NRP.

Monitoring and/or initiating appropriate action

on UN, State Department, JCS, and Congressional matters which

affect the NRP.

(7) Managing, in consultation with appropriate NRP

Program Directors, the processing and production of all

photographic products of the NRP,

as well as the R&D and procurement associated with these

activities.

d. The NRO Comptroller:

The NRO Comptroller reports directly to the DNRO. He

is responsible for financial management of the NRP, including

such actions as formulating the NRP Budget and the NRP Financial

Program (with the assistance of the NRO Staff and the Program

Directors), for processing the NRP Budget through DoD and BoB

channels to the Congress, for reviewing and recommending on

the cost and financing implications of all new projects or

tasks, and changes to approved projects or tasks, the issuance

of funds to appropriate activities, and the establishment of

HLV...11111111111111

10
adequate financial reports and records. The NRO Comptroller

also monitors the budgeting and expenditure of significant

NRP-support funds by other agencies.

e. DoD Space Reconnaissance Programs Office:

The primary function of this office is the acquisition

and operation of assigned NRP space system and/or sub-system

projects. This office is comprised of all of SAFSP (the

command and control of which has been delegated to the DNRO

by the SAF), and designated full- and part-time members of the

Air Force Space Systems Division and the Aerospace Corporation.

Its Director, acting in his additional capacity as Vice

Commander SSD, commands and controls in response only to

the DNRO, those . personnel, facilities, and equipment of the

SSD required for the conduct of NRP satellite projects. The

Director, SAFSP is responsible to the DNRO for:

The development, procurement, and operation of

assigned space systems, and the support, as directed, of other

NRP Program Directors wherein he does not have overall project

responsibility.

The provision of boosters launch services and

facilities, on-orbit tracking and command services and

facilities, ancillinnilliproduct recovery services

for all NRP satellite projects.
• • OULY

The conduct of a space-oriented study, research,

and technology program.

The conduct of the NRP satellite vulnerability

reduction program.

f. DoD Aircraft Reconnaissance Program Office:

The primary function of this office is the acquisition

and/or operation of assigned NRP aircraft and drone projects.

The office is organized and manned as a separate, covert entity

of the Assistant for Reconnaissance, DCS/R&D . Headquarters USAF.

The Director is responsible to the DNRO for:

The development, procurement, and/or operation

of all assigned aircraft and drone projects, and the support,

as directed, of other NRP Program Directors wherein he does

not have overall project responsibility.

The provision of all Air Force support (personnel,

facilities, and equipment) to the CIA for the latter's assigned

NRP aircraft projects.

The acquisition of Strategic Air Command aircraft

and drone resources used in NRP undertakings.

Provision of the NRP focal point for those aircraft

and drone systems, sub-systems, components, and technology

"surfaced" from the NRP and special security constraints.

12
(5) Conduct of DNRO-approved in-house and contractor

studies for future aircraft systems.

g. CIA Reconnaissance Programs Office:

The primary function of this office is the acquisition

and/or operation of assigned aircraft and space projects.

This office is manned both with CIA employees and DoD personnel

assigned to the CIA. Its organization includes the entire

Office of Special Activities (OSA) for aircraft projects, the

entire Office of Special Projects (OSP) for satellite projects,

and designated portions of other CIA elements. The Director

of this office, as the single authoritative CIA point of

contact fOr all CIA participation in the NRP, is responsible

to the DNRO for:

The development, procurement, and operation of

assigned aircraft and satellite projects, and the support,

as directed, of other NRP Program Directors wherein he does

• not have overall project responsibility.

The conduct of an aircraft and space-oriented

study, research, and technology program.

1.3
h. Joint Reconnaissance Center, JCS:

The Director of this office is responsible to the

DNRO for the conduct of those JRC-managed missions falling

within the purview of the National Reconnaissance Program.

8. PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

Each complete system developed and/or employed as

part of the NRP is designated as an NRP System Project and

accorded code name.

A System Project Director and Deputy Director, who

are assigned . to one of the NRP Program Directors (paragraphs

6a(2) through 6a(5):1 and whose selection has been approved by

the DNRO, are designated for each major system undertaking.

c. In those cases wherein responsibility for all major

sub-systems of a project is not that of a single NRP Program

Director, a Sub-System Project Director (or Directors) is

appointed by the NRP Program Director(s) who does not have

overall project responsibility. The Sub-System Project Director

is responsive, under management arrangements established by the

DNRO, to the program direction of the designated System Project

Director. In all such cases wherein significant system

14
responsibility is assigned to two or more NRP Program Directors,

an appropriate NIP management directive is issued.

Each Project Director, within normal constraints

imposed by the DNRO on cost and financing, performance, and

schedules is responsible through his Program Director solely

to the DNRO for the total conduct of his Project.

Although formal program approvals and general direction,

budgetary matters, and the like, flow through the appropriate

NRP Program Director to the System Project Directors, there

also exist informal and direct communications between all

working levels, with the NRO Staff and the NRO Comptroller,

and between the DNRO and individual Project Directors for the

day-to-day conduct of buSiness. In particular, the DNRO has

free and direct access to all System Project Directors and

Sub-System Project Directors, and vice versa, for the detailed

technical supervision necessary for him to discharge the

system engineering and integration responsibilities described

in the DoD-CIA NRP Agreement.

15

•...P • • r
9. SECURITY:

Protection of the products (i.e., photography, other

y

sensor material, and SIGINT information) is

provided by the TALENT-KEYHOLE Security System of the National

Intelligence Community. The necessary clearances for access

to T-K information for members of the NRO and the principal

NRP participant organizations are granted by the CIA or

appropriate DoD Department.

Information concerning the conduct of the NRP, its

projects, organization, participants, etc, is safeguarded by

th41111111security system. Individual major projects are

compartmented within thinsystem and access controlled

accordingly.

c. stem is administered by the DNRO, under

the security policy guidance of the DCI. The Director, NRO

Staff, and NRP Program Directors have been delegated authority

to determine need-to-know for clearable persons actively

working on NIP matters under their jurisdiction. Otherwise,

only the Secretary of Defense, Director of Central Intelligence,

or DNRO have the authority to approve need-to-know for other

persons on NRP matters.

16
d. The principal , managers and/or NIP participant organizations are provided cover by overt titles or activities as

follows:

The activities of the DNRO are covered by his

unclassified position as Assistant Secretary of the AirForce

for Research and Development (SAFRD), and the DDNRO, as Special

Assistant to the SAFRD.

The activities of the NRO Staff are covered by

the overt title of Office of Space Systems, Secretary of the

Air Force (SAFSS). The Director, NRO Staff, is covered by

his overt title as Director, Office of Space Systems.

AW/MMAIVeZZIMAIZZ/Z1 ./17/ AWM,

(4) The activities of the DOD Space Reconnaissance

Programs Office are covered by the overt title of Office of

Special Projects, Secretary of the Air'Force (SAFSP). The

Director is covered by his dual overt titles of Director, SAFSP,

and Vice Commander, Space Systems Division, Air Force Systems

Command.

17
The activities of the DoD Aircraft Reconnaissance

Programs Office are covered by the overt title of Office of

Assistant for Reconnaissance to the Deputy Chief of Staff for

Research and Development, Hq USAF.

The activities of the CIA Reconnaissance Programs

Office are covert in nature. The Director has the overt title

of

The aircraft projects office is covered by the overt title of

'Office of Special Activities (OSA), DDS&T; and the satellite

projects office by the overt title of Office of Special Projects

(DSP), DDS6T..

(7) The JRC does not require an overt title; however,

its participation and activities within the NRP are controlled

under te1111111Security System.

d. Services, Agencies, and individuals knowingly participating in or supporting the NRP will make no reference to such

support outside th or TALENT/KEYHOLE security systems.

DoD activities may, When absolutely necessary, identify the

total of such manpower and resources as 'committed to work

assigned under the provisions of DoD Directive No. TS 5105.23."

DoD (Secret) Directive No. S-5200.13 will be used when possible

in place of TS 5105.23.

18
9. COMMUNICATIONS:

Where available, organizational elements of the NRP

utilize appropriately secure communications facilities and

services of the CIA and DoD. Where such support is not

available or adequate, or to link such nets together, NROcontrolled communications'facilities and/or services are

provided.

NRO-provided communications facilities and/or services

are a functional responsibility of the NRO Staff, using personnel

and resources of the Air Force Communications Service, as

necessary.

In consort with appropriate DoD and CIA agencies, the

NRO Staff establishei appropriate communications standards and

procedures peculiar to the needs of the NRP.

All NRP Program Directors and Project Directors are

authorized direct communications with each other, the NRO

Staff and NRO Comptroller on NRP matters. The prior and

specific approval of the DNRO is required for NRP communications

to higher authority.

19

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10. EFFECTIVE DATE:

This directive is effective immediately and supersedes

any conflicting NRO documents, past or present.

Alexander H. Flax

Director

National Reconnaissance Office

1 atch

NRP Organization

20
Director, National RecOnnaissamce Office

(Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

for Research and Development)

Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance

Office

(Special Assistant to the Asst Secy of

Air Force for R&D)

DoD Aircraft

Recon Pro: Office

(Asst for Recon,

DCS R&D N USAF

Joint Reconnaissance

Center. JCS

(Joint Reconnaissanc

Center. JCS)

Project Directors Project Directors

The NRO Staff

0 ice o Space

S stems OSAF

CIA Reconnaissance

Programs Office

Project Directors

DoD Space Reconnaissance

Programs Office 

(Office of Special

Proiects, OSAF)

Project Directors

ORGANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL

RECONNAISSANCE PROGRAM

NOTE: Unclassified titles are shown

in parentheses.