When we think of modern intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, UAVs or drones might come to mind. Cyber warfare, technological prowess, cutting-edge operations—ISR is modern war at its finest. Would it be a surprise, then, if we told you ISR UAVs are almost a century old?
Taking a look at the term "drone," originally signifying pilotless aircraft guided by remote control, unveils a fascinating journey from its early roots in the 1930s all the way to today’s UAVs. Named after the Queen Bee “drone,” Admiral William Standley coined the term for remote piloted aircraft developed by the U.S. Navy.
Fast forward to today, and "drone" has not only become a staple in military operations but has also worked its way into our everyday vernacular, reflecting its significant impact on ISR work and military operations in general.
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Now, let's take a look at ISR, answering all your questions, including:
- What exactly is ISR?
- What are the stages of ISR integration?
- What roles and responsibilities exist in ISR?
- What tools and technology are out there?
- How does Greenwood Aerospace support ISR missions?
Join us as we dive into the world of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
What is Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)?
One of the smallest fleets of aerial assets in the U.S. Armed Forces are their intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft. Also, ISR assets are one of the military fleet's most highly demanded and utilized parts. The ISR assets are not a one-size-fits-all body of aircraft. There are different aircraft for different purposes and missions. Some are for kinetic effect, while others are geared towards non-kinetic warfare. We will look at what ISR is, how the military gathers the information, and the tools used for the process.
“I” Is For Intelligence
Regarding the context of ISR work, intelligence is about collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information to support decision-making and gain a strategic advantage. Intelligence in ISR is hard work and encompasses various mediums to get the desired results, which is information. It uses myriad sources, including sensors, satellites, human intelligence (HUMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and other reconnaissance assets.
This information is then analyzed and transformed into actionable intelligence, which provides insights into enemy activities, capabilities, intentions, and vulnerabilities.
There are three broad types of intelligence which is then broken down into different subtypes:
- Tactical intelligence: Real-time information supporting immediate operations in the battlespace, tactical intel is disseminated to units in the AOR to make fast and informed decisions on target identification, threat assessment, and overall situational awareness.
- Operational intelligence: Used to support broader operations and full-scale campaigns, tactical intel is gathered and analyzed to reveal behavior patterns and other indicators.
- Strategic intelligence: This is the high-level intel used for long-term planning and decision-making. These include political, economic, social, and military factors to assess potential threats, understand the adversary's capabilities and intentions, and develop strategies for national security.
“S” is for Surveillance
Surveillance is the component of ISR that pertains to systematic and continuous monitoring of activities of either the enemy or questionable characters and agents in a determined AOR or battlespace.
Surveillance is conducted by several core mediums, including:
- Imagery surveillance, which uses satellites, UAVs, and manned ISR aircraft: The images provide information about enemy numbers, positions, weapons, infrastructure, terrain, and anything else that might be relevant.
- Signal intelligence surveillance (SIGINT): SIGINT focuses on intercepting and analyzing comms and communication signals from opposing forces, or any other parties of interest. This information is used to determine the levels of communication sophistication of adversaries, any potential electronic warfare capabilities, etc.
- Human intelligence surveillance, which uses a sort of “man on the street” approach: Examples are conversations, observations, or interactions with people in the AOR and gleaning information from them.
- Geospatial surveillance: By integrating a number of data sources, geospatial surveillance monitors and analyzes the physical characteristics of a specific area.
“R” is for Reconnaissance
Unlike surveillance, which is the constant and persistent monitoring of a target or intelligence, the final product of the ISR process, reconnaissance is information-gathering to answer one specific question. For instance, we need to know what frequencies suspected combatants use, so an aerial asset is deployed to the AOR to listen in on the conversation and find out what frequencies are being used. Or, we know there are conventional missile silos in an area but are unsure of the exact count or location. Reconnaissance is the action of finding this information. Recon and surveillance are similar, and the methods may be interchangeable. It may be visual on the ground or in the air, or it could be electronic observations.
Integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
The ISR process is cyclical, especially considering the frequency of change. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance are interconnected components in a cycle that supports data collection, analysis, and information dissemination to the command levels that require it.
The four stages of integrating ISR are:
- Surveillance
- Reconnaissance
- Intelligence
- Feedback Loop
We've explored the first three already, but let's take a closer look at each, and see how they impact the ISR cycle.
First Stage: Surveillance
The first step in the process is surveillance.
Surveillance is the persistent monitoring of an area, a target, or any person or item of interest. The data and information collected during the surveillance phase are a building block of raw material for subsequent stages of the ISR cycle.
The surveillance stage extends beyond traditional military applications to encompass a broader spectrum, including border security, disaster response, and environmental monitoring. By leveraging a combination of cutting-edge technologies and strategic methodologies, ISR integration transforms surveillance into a proactive and adaptive process, laying the groundwork for informed decision-making across various military branches and operations.
Second Stage: Reconnaissance
Recon is the stage where the process is refined. Forces conduct information-gathering missions to answer any specific questions. Once the targeted data has been gathered through whatever means are deemed necessary, analysts examine the gathered data, identify relevant patterns, and extract actionable intelligence. This includes interpreting imagery, deciphering signals, analyzing human intelligence, and studying other available data sources. The goal is to understand the operating environment comprehensively, identify potential threats, and assess the enemy's capabilities.
Early in the second Iraq War, special forces teams were tasked with inserting themselves into urban environments and grabbing people of interest. Aerial assets from the Army and Air Force are often deployed to listen in on phone conversations or pick up on any other SIGINT traffic that they can.
Third Stage: Intelligence
The finished product of data collection techniques is intelligence, which is the output of the ISR cycle. Intelligence is always changing, though, and relies heavily on a continuous flow of information to remain current and actionable. A battlefield is a place of constant adjustments so intelligence will change incredibly quickly, especially at the tactical intelligence level.
Fourth Stage: Feedback Loop
Intelligence constantly changes, so the ISR cycle can be concise. For ISR to be effective, feedback must be available and open.
In practice, the feedback loop serves as a conduit for frontline operators, analysts, and decision-makers to share insights, challenges, and observations. This two-way communication fosters a collaborative environment where the ISR process adapts in real-time to emerging information and unexpected developments. Through regular feedback, the intelligence community can refine collection priorities, enhance analysis methodologies, and optimize the deployment of surveillance assets.
It is instrumental in addressing the dual challenges of information overload and information gaps. By engaging stakeholders in an ongoing dialogue, ISR practitioners can fine-tune their focus, ensuring that intelligence efforts align with strategic objectives. This adaptability is particularly crucial in the face of rapidly changing environments, where the ISR cycle must evolve to address new threats, technologies, and geopolitical shifts.
The feedback loop ensures that the ISR process remains adaptive and responds appropriately to emerging information, changing environments, and evolving threats.
Roles and Responsibilities of ISR
ISR is a broad term that encompasses many disciplines. The goal, if you were to look at ISR as a whole unit, is to gain an informational edge over our adversaries. The ISR machine never stops and constantly monitors almost everywhere on Earth. In the interest of speed, the intent is to interconnect sensors from all warfighting domains and provide them to the appropriate layers of command. This information comes in from space, air, sea, land, and cyber ISR assets and sources.
Some of the most common types of ISR roles are:
- Intelligence analysts
- Surveillance operators
- Recon specialists
Intel analysts are the backbone of intelligence. It is an enlisted specialty in the military, but it is far from limited to the military. Almost every federal law enforcement agency employs them; of course, the DIA and CIA are full of them.
To give decision-makers helpful information, they are tasked with gathering and evaluating data from many sources, including open-source intelligence, classified papers, and human intelligence. When identifying potential security risks, evaluating adversaries' capabilities, and developing plans to combat them, intelligence analysts use their analytical ability, critical thinking skills, and knowledge of global events. Surveillance operators and reconnaissance specialists often operate in fixed-wing or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to conduct their missions. These missions often include overflying territories to gather information or penetration missions for aerial imagery.
Technology and Tools in ISR
ISR work was once driven almost exclusively by hands-on HUMINT but now relies heavily on technology. Here are a few of the tools that keep ISR moving:
- Sensors and platforms: ISR relies heavily on satellite imagery and SIGINT data.
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): UAVs are commonly deployed for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance missions. They have loiter times only limited by fuel and risk no human casualties.
- Reconnaissance Aircraft: Manned aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, such as electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and electronic intelligence (ELINT) systems, are used for specific ISR missions.
- Ground-based Sensors: These include cameras, radars, acoustic sensors, and seismic sensors deployed on the ground to detect and track activities in specific areas. The Ho Chi Min trail was loaded with seismic sensors that were dropped aerially to monitor troop movements.
Evolving Artificial Intelligence (AI) & ISR
Everyone has been discussing AI. It’ll replace our jobs, write award-winning sales letters, etc. Well, most of this is conjecture at this point. However, it has a bright future in the ISR realm. AI provides the capability to review imagery and video feeds from ISR platforms and substantially reduce the workload in intelligence analysts.
A few of the primary benefits of AI are:
Evaluating video and other incoming data will minimize human mistakes and reduce the need for supervision. Act quicker on intelligence information to make better life-saving judgments.
- AI increases domain awareness for military perimeter monitoring, marine compliance, border security, and tracking.
- Accelerate ISR military initiatives using real-time spatial, high altitude, airborne, and terrestrial data.
- You may get insights and predict outcomes in almost real-time by integrating computer vision into the ISR line, which enables you to take quicker action in the field.
The ISR Fleet
We have written extensively about ISR aircraft in the DOD fleet. They are one of the smallest parts of the overall fleet but are in nearly constant demand for their ability to observe personnel movements, equipment, and signals gathering. The ISR fleet is evolving rapidly to meet evolving threat profiles worldwide. But they have been aging steadily; the Guardrail program is five decades old. A Leidos led program dubbed Artemis is updating the Army’s ISR fleet, retiring the rugged warriors that are RC-12s. The Air Force is systematically doing the same, replacing outdated legacy airframes.
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Every part of this process involves deep logistical needs and reliable supply chains. Greenwood Aerospace is your trusted supplier in this space. We provide:
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