Leadership Dinner with NRO Director Chris Scolese

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Following dinner, Dr. Scolese joined INSA Chairwoman Letitia A. Long for a moderated Q&A. The discussion covered foreign competitors and the threats they pose to our space-based intelligence capabilities. He also outlined key strategies for strengthening resilience in our space architecture, emphasizing five key points, “partnerships with commercial, proliferation of the architecture, diversification of the architecture, taking advantage of multiple orbits, and disaggregating ground systems.”  

Director Scolese highlighted how NRO is taking advantage of commercial space providers’ capabilities while mitigating security concerns. He also addressed partnership with foreign allies, particularly efforts to expand collaboration with our Five Eyes Partners to enhance supply chain security for advanced sensing and satellite technology. Additionally, he discussed NRO’s investment in quantum technology research, detailing the current state of their capabilities and future applications, including quantum communications, sensing, and encryption.

The moderated Q&A session closed with Dr. Scolese expressing deep appreciation for the NRO workforce, calling them the “critical ingredient” to the agency's continued success. He closed with words of encouragement for students and early careerists in attendance, stating, “the future is bright and shiny, and you will make it brighter and shinier as you go through it.”