Comments on: Spy Agency May Face Ax

By: Aloysius J. Koller Jr.

Aloysius J. Koller Jr. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:29:48 +0000

‘Change’ seems to be in the wind, but one wonders, if a ‘real’ Management Control/Workflow study has taken place.
Act in haste, be ‘blind’ at leisure!

By: Diffraction Limited

Diffraction Limited — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:19:15 +0000

There were clear signs that the NRO was in trouble by the late 1980s, perhaps sooner. Many people called warning in the twenty years since then, and the NRO bureaucracy always won out. As, I suspect, it just has again.

If there’s a bright side to this, it’s that the NRO’s satellites aren’t quite as critical to the national security now as they were during the Cold War. But that’s small comfort.

By: qk

qk — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:21:33 +0000

I believe this is just a start. The government needs to go through other organizations and clean house of some of the beucracy it has created over the many years. If some of the layers of beaucracy are torn down instead of more always being created, we can get more meanigful work done instead of tring to figure out how to work the system

By: JohnJay

JohnJay — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:56:48 +0000

Radarnav says what most of us believe needs to be done. I agree with you 100% my friend!

By: Integrator

Integrator — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:44:47 +0000

A few years back I recall hearing a fairly blunt critique of the NRO at a Space Symposium where purportedly promises were made by Leadership to change the way NRO acquired capabilities and used resources. Seems that has not changed as the same old tired, senior managers remained in charge, the same big three companies garnered the huge contracts and only a few lesser companies received the leftovers. Times are a changing.……maybe!

By: Radarnav

Radarnav — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:19:13 +0000

There is one clear and distinct change that needs to be made to classified acquisition programs. Hire very experienced Program Managers and Lead Engineers. Empower them to be in total charge, to be 100% responsible and accountable for success of the program. If they fail, fire them and force them to separate from the Service and/or civil service — even if it is prior to retirement eligilibilty

That is the way it was 20 years ago when Black programs made phenominal technological leaps, delivered on time & budget, and exceeded expectations.

By: Todd Caswell

Todd Caswell — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:31:37 +0000

Mr. Dennis Blair is a good man. He was my CO on the USS Cochrane in Yokosuka, Japan as a CDR. He did think outside of the Box then, surely is going to do it now.

By: Todd Caswell

Todd Caswell — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:28:04 +0000

How will this effect DSP?

By: Colin Clark

Colin Clark — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:58:54 +0000

Charles,

Your conclusion is reasonable but this is a story in motion, crawling through a hall of mirrors. My source is as good as you can get on this and provided only the sketchiest of details. The info about the Senate intel committee came from my source I’ve spoken with two other usually well informed sources and they have no clue what’s really happening. I expect more details to be forthcoming in the next two weeks. I promise to update this as soon as we get more details. When I broke the news about Carlson taking over the NRO I was highly skeptical but my source (a different one) was impeccable and when covering intel one has no choice but to depend on proven sources — as long as they continue to prove themselves!

By: Charles Phillips

Charles Phillips — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:01:25 +0000

Colin — I wonder about your headline. It sounds like the article concludes with the fact that the NRO will not see many changes.

By: ReconTeam

ReconTeam — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:53:39 +0000

DAWIAdude, while plenty of money was lost in political BS, JASSM still seems to be giving us a capable long range missile, and the Bradley has matured into a good vehicle. It is just not as well suited for today’s conflicts due to the small squad it carries.

By: DAWIAdude

DAWIAdude — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:50:40 +0000

This is systemic, and not limited to NRO. I have seen the same trends in every area of Defense Acquisition I work with. Bottom line: we have ineffective management more worried about the posturing and politics to protect and grow programs than results. JASSM anyone? Go back and watch the movie "The Pentagon Wars" again. I see the same scenarios play out every day, with the addition of a T&E community that is equally lost. We are so worried about "consensus approaches" and well run IPTs that we have forgotten the products. And no, recent acquisition reform measures won't fix it. Hell, even the SECDEF can't kill programs that don't perform, and underperforming PEOs are not held accountable. Is it any wonder???

By: Tarbosaurus

Tarbosaurus — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:27:17 +0000

Hey, you want to make the NRO effective again? Make it deep-black classified again. It’s worth noting that all the bureaucracy eff-ups started immediately after Clinton declared it illegal for US government organizations to be secret.

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:25:33 +0000

There’s a new boss in town, and he thinks those deck chairs are in SERIOUS need of rearrangement.