FOP-SEERET Handle Via Indicated Controls TALENT-KEYHOLE/COMINT Project Access: . IDEALIST TAGBOARD CORONA REPORT TO THE 40 COMMITTEE ON THE. mR Pr enes . ast RUF| ZAR UME anwwa CONTROL: uae MSG? COPY-Ss * age oe Pu * review the technical status of existing and planned reconnaissance projects. Figure 2 shows the organizational relationships relevant to the National Reconnaissance Program. Cc. The NRO Organization The Director of the NRO, Dr. John L. McLucas is appointed by the Secretary of Defense. He also serves as the Under Secretary of the Air Force. Dr. F. Robert Naka is the Deputy Director and is assigned by the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The NRO Staff, OOUEIN |) san - is located in the Pentagon and provides staff assistance to the Director of the NRO and to the NRO Program Directors. The Staff numbers ive (b}(1)1.5¢ Handle Via ; 2 COMINT TATENT.KEYHOLE DIDN 29 Z esnBi3 ss — 1oyvasig Aindag HA ‘P1400 4G spn pW 4G IDG ‘swe IW DIA 3]puD}H J0}294I1g OUN j2Q 2295 daq ‘pap xeng sW ERDAS SayMIWOD BANHIAXI dUN P1Px2Og JW 3SN35330 JO AYVI3YDIS J30 plo] JW JSNAIIA JO AYVLINDIS swIoH JW JDNIOMIINI WYINID YOLD2 N10 Adag 28xXZ “UlsDW 4qQ JeBsaqpljoy 4g meds 4d HAIN 10 Bury 4g WAMIDH 1g H?40 40 Adag 22ax3z'axINg AW 49]}91 3 40 Audsaw g 346 af ‘ujooury g yaw J2]]2J2920y YN ACD Avag 2axy ‘A071 IW ByDyS ‘aulD aw VSN ‘J2}4DD Wpy A Fy WIG ‘Heuueg UaD 7) 33y ‘uUMolg IW Avag 20xq ‘uidoyus tw “SDP UwWYD W090; wpy Ida ‘s4j2H AW ayOyS ‘uosuyor spy eng 4 i 19409 fF 4d poe as Og ‘psex20g aW igd ‘UDANINS AW uuyd ‘puyol 4g pun} 2g OV ‘Hew UW VID fubuYysAd Ha 1 SISHOW GYN Uo [aun hose sy HA ‘s06uissiy 3g uWu ‘Swe IW 224998 O M 40 uu ‘uosispuy WpY Guyvog AYOSIAQY ZINIOITILNI NOWYOI G8vVOd JONIONTIINI S3LVLS G31INN dNOID Wid9ds PiADg 40 YOSIAGY JONFTIOS S.LNIGISI8d : HMOINNOD ALNINDIS IWNOILLVN IN3G1S3ud JHI : INSWNOUIANT TWNOILVZINVOUO dun SHI It has become increasingly evident that the overall assessment, evaluation, and long range planning for intel- ligence collection systems and their relationship to requirements and exploitation capabilities is not being accomplished adequately. Although the scope of such considerations includes much more than the responsibilities of the NRO, OlO VERE The Director of Program A is Brigadier General Lew Allen, Jr. The unclassified designation of the Program 4 organization is the Office of Special Projects in the Office of the Secretaty of the Air Force. The Program A Headquaktexe in El Segundo, California is staffed by keycny1 people. This organization deals primarily with satellite Handle Via PERN CO MINT photographic and signal intelligence payload development and operations, including systems readiness and checkout, launching, orbital control, and recovery of payload capsules. (9) 18) Da Program A also manages the. Air Force Special Projects Production Facility (AFSPPF) at Westover Air Force Base, an organization which assists in the processing of photographic reconnaissance products. This facility is staffed by Pe: Addi- tionally, Program A supervises a number of advanced research programs intended to extend existing reconnaissance capa~ bilities. General Allen is responsible for booster vehicles and launch operations for all NRP satellites, including col- lection systems developed by his own organization, by the CIA Reconnaissance Program Office, and by Program C. In carrying out his mission, General Allen is supported exten- sively by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Organization as well as by UU The Director, CIA Reconnaissance Programs, Mr. Carl Duckett, has responsibilities in both aircraft and satellite reconnaissance. The Agency also provides.some covert Handle Via SERCO mint contractual and procurement functions for the National Reconnaissance Program and conducts assigned research and development efforts for both aireraft and satellite recon~ naissance projects. The Office of Special Activities, CIA, continues to use the U-2 vehicle in the IDEALIST collection program. The CEE: sceLligence collection system, the CORONA rocise a sensor subsystems, and electro-optical imaging technology are the CIA's major satellite developments and are managed by the CIA Office of Special Projects. The Agency's Washington-based reconnais-~- sance staff and detached locations are manned by about ean people, In January, 1971 all Navy space activities were con- solidated in a newly created Navy Space Project Office. Concurrently, the functions of NRO Program C were transferred from the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Intelligence) to the Navy Space Project Office. Captain Robert K. Geiger is the Manager of the Office and the Director of Program C; his Washington staff for covert activities consists of cng people. The BO signal intelligence system remains the primary development of the Program C Office, and the effort Handle Via COMINT continues to be carried on principally at ae (b)(1)1.5¢ supported by feunnse In addition, this office is studying the use of NRP assets--systems, facilities, technology and experience--which could be of use in satis- fying both Navy and national ocean surveillance requirements. Colonel Frank W. Hartley, Jr., the Director of Program D, employs (IU\R as on his Washington staff and Wieadditional persons at Qiu Mee Air Force Base. Program D provides and manages the TAGBOARD drone system and the SAC U-2 aircraft fleet, as well as Air Force support to CIA for the IDEALIST program. Colonel Hartley and his staff also furnish es Under special arrangements, the Joint Reconnaissance Center of the Joint Chiefs of Staff exercises, for the DNRO, operational control of certain aircraft programs when overflight of denied territory is involved. At present, vendanseeeatea systems in this category include U-2 and $R-71 aircraft, and the TAGBOARD drone. Figure 3 shows the organization of the National Reconnaissance Office. / Handle Via OMINT ; 6 ‘= £ ainBbiy - BROS OL DIA SIPYPR AapP20H OD JaBiag ydoy LAV YDUIV enone! =~ SOVOUVd INIONI JLLVS ag wv¥90ud 2 WV890dd HexI0Q AW AsvYdDAlV 8 SALMSBLVS (2 ¥ s/aa) sups603q arouDssIDUUOIaY YID . VY Wvwo0dd uayTy veg Big S3LITTSLVS usnqporg ]o> : 15 Jajposydwosy DYDN 3g voOpasig Aindag spany Ww sq iso0j ras! PW 4d ig J91310 JONVSSIVNNOIIY WHOILWH —t33335-dOL U-2. The NRO maintains a fleet of eleven U-2R IDEALIST aircraft; five are operated by the CIA Office of Special Activities and the remainder by the Strategic Air Command. The U-2R is capable of flying at ee at CORRE atcicuse and can fly missions of nents | miles. It is fitted out with one of three primary camera systems, depending upon the type of mission to be flown, and is capable of photography with a best resolution of (bICI1.Se, (OY). from its operating altitude. Signal Intelligence payloads can also be carried aboard these vehicles. China. The USIB requirement for aircraft collection against mainland China calls for monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual coverage of selected targets and areas (USIB D-46.4/13, March 27, 1968 and USIB D-41.14/276, January 19, 1966}, IDEALIST missions flown out of Taiwan are planned to meet these requirements. On July 3, 1968, the Aeeceney of State suspended aircraft overflights of China; however, no IDEALIST missions have penetrated Chinese airspace since March 16 of that year. Because of the standing USIB requirements flights are requested each month, but the 40 Committee has approved Handle Via OMINT ; ; 29 only peripheral IDEALIST operations with the stipulation that they approach no closer than twenty nautical miles to the mainland China coast. Twenty peripheral missions-- all successful--were flown during the year, collecting photography and signal intelligence. Middle East. On August 7, 1970, the Department of State requested that U-2 aerial photographic coverage To meet this request a task force of two alreratt operated by the CLA Office of Special Activities and identified by the codeword EVEN STEVEN, was deployed on August 8 ess | was flown on August 9° During the period from August 9 through December 13, a total of thirty EVEN STEVEN missions were flown over routes that ranged from six to nine nautical miles (iia MeFive of the photo missions also Handle Via 30 SERCO carried Ole The last EVEN STEVEN mission was flown on November 10, and the task force deployed back to Edwards Air Force Base, California on December 13, Cuba. The requirements for Cuban coverage (USIB D-46.2/35, April 2, 1970} state that approximately 90 percent of the entire island shall be covered by inter- pretable high-resolution stereo photography during any 3-month period; that at least one successful manned over- flight will be made at least once every and that a capability will be maintained to overfly Cuba within 24 hours. against any specific critical objective. Sixty-seven missions, identified as OLD HEAD, were flown during this period by U~-2R aircraft operated by the Strategic Air Command. On June 30 the satisfaction of Cuban collection requirements stood at 99.3 percent. There were two missions where fighter intercept was ™ : ; attempted or thought to be underway. In the first incident on March 18, 1971, COMINT indicated that an attack was being vectored against the mission. . The U-2 pilot im- mediately took evasive action and left the area when his Handle Via 31 UTES © MINT warning system indicated imminent attack. It was sub- sequently determined that the on-board atcack warning system had malfunctioned in the area. In the second case, on June 6, two MIG-21 aircraft were vectored in a poor intercept attempt. The closest approach was four nautical miles and 40,000 feet below the U-2R. This OLD HEAD mission was successfully completed. SR-71. North Korea. The current requirements for neeus eee coverage (USIB D-46.4/13, March 27, 1968, and USIB D-41.14/276, January 19, 1966), call for 50 percent of the targets to be sampled quarterly and essentially all targets semi-annually, with high resolu- tion photography. $R-71 aireraft operated by SAC and identified by the codeword GIANT SCALE flew four deep and two shallow (eas twenty nautical mile) penetration missions-~all successful--during the year. GIANT SCALE missions are coordinated for the purpose of collecting against essential (QiUie In March, April, and May of this year, the North Koreans lodged five separate protests against GIANT SCALE missions. The protests against missions GS 334 on March 14 and GS 359 on May 17 have been stronger than in the past and indicate that retaliatory action may be taken. As a result of these threats, which may include actions against lower and slower flying reconnaissance platforms that wise WM co GIANT SCALE missions planned for June 1971 ace disapproved by the 40 Committee. In addition to the North Korean actions, the first Soviet airborne reaction to an SR-71 flight was made against the peripheral mission flown May 14, 1971. The Soviet aircraft, however, did not approach closer than 100 nautical miles to the mission. TAGBOARD. The TAGBOARD drone was developed as a high speed, high altitude photographic collection vehicle. It is air launched From a B-52 aireraft and boosted to speed and altitude by a solid rocket motor; it is capable of flying at (loos altitude at miles. Launched outside of denied territory, the TAGROARD Handle Via TREN COMIN 33