Intel Agency's Director Discusses Strength of International Partnerships

The head of the National Reconnaissance Office today praised the agency's continually expanding partnerships with United States' ally nations while participating in a fireside chat at a Washington think tank.

During the chat that was hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, NRO Director Chris Scolese said that though the agency has worked with international partners since its establishment, recent expansion of those partnerships has been beneficial from a strategic standpoint.

"There is great capability that exists with our partners … [and] we are greatly expanding that relationship," Scolese said. "And I think the fact we're doing that makes [our enemies] worry."

As an example of how NROs international partnerships are continually expanding, Scolese pointed out how the agency has recently grown the number of locations from which it launches its satellites.

"Typically, we have launched [from only] Florida and California," Scolese said. "[But] over the last four or five years, we've launched from New Zealand with our partners there; we've launched from the [United Kingdom]; and we've launched from Wallops Island, Virginia … So that shows international partnership [and] a diversification of our launch capabilities … It's an indication of how much more broadly our international cooperation has grown."

Scolese also said that the NRO's international partnerships contribute significantly to the sharing of information.

"Our [intelligence] supply chain is global now, there's no question about it … And we like to work with our allies because we can have much higher confidence and trust in what's going on … We're working across the spectrum, sharing data where we can," Scolese said, adding that the more satellites there are orbiting Earth at any given time, the more successfully NRO can coordinate its operations.

Established in 1960 as a secret agency that the government didn't declassify until 1992, the NRO is tasked with the mission to "develop and operate the world's most capable and innovative overhead reconnaissance systems to collect intelligence for U.S. national security and to support disaster relief and humanitarian efforts."

Scolese, who holds a doctorate in systems engineering, took over as NRO director in 2019.