Organisations

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)

The National Reconnaissance Office is a US intelligence agency that designs, builds and operates the country's reconnaissance satellites, and has been named in connection with several UAP-related claims and personnel.

satellite reconnaissance · US intelligence agency

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a US intelligence agency responsible for designing, building and operating the country’s reconnaissance satellites. Its first high-resolution photoreconnaissance satellite system, codenamed Gambit, launched in 1963,¹ followed in 1971 by the Hexagon satellite program, a similar system built for wide-area searches of denied territory.² Chris Ramsay said the NRO is one of the most secretive departments among US intelligence agencies,³ and he also said the agency has placed distinctive patches and crests on its satellites, each representing a different mission.⁴

A 1991 security advisory attributed to the NRO surfaced in UAP research circles: according to In Plain Sight, the leaked document listed codenames and command locations in and around 1991 Nellis Air Force Base security lockdown, including the USA, Nevada, Area 51 sites known as Groom Lake and USA, Nevada, Dreamland.⁵ A related NRO document detailing codenames for Special Access Programs (SAPs) was reportedly sent by Steven Greer to Thomas Wilson’s staff ahead of an April 1997 Pentagon visit.⁶ Separately, Tom DeLonge said NRO surveillance satellites were seeing UAP objects entering and leaving the atmosphere, and that he had seen the evidence himself.⁷ He also said one of his advisers, from the NRO, used the term “episodic visits” to describe UAP events.⁸

The NRO features prominently in the career of David Charles Grusch, a veteran of both the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the NRO.⁹ From 2016 to 2021 he served at the NRO as Senior Intelligence Officer, leading production of the NRO director’s daily briefing,¹⁰ and on the operations center’s Director’s briefing staff, coordinating the Presidential daily brief and supporting contingency operations as reserve intelligence division chief backup.¹¹ The NRO Operations Center Deputy Director assessed him, according to the same profile, as an “adept staff officer and strategist” and “total force integrator with innovative solutions and actionable results."¹² From 2019 to 2021 he served as the NRO’s official representative to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), in a reservist capacity within the United States Air Force (USAF),¹³ and he testified to this at the House Hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (2023-07-26), where he was identified as the Former NRO Representative to the UAPTF.¹⁴ Luis Elizondo has stated that Grusch served as the NRO and NGA representative on the Pentagon’s UAP Task Force.¹⁵ He also said that Jay Stratton handpicked members for the task force from across the intelligence community, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the NRO, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the FAA.¹⁶

Christopher K. Mellon said the NRO, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the NGA, the FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA) appeared to hold important UAP data that they were not sharing with each other.¹⁷ A leaked 2021 National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Performance Report on David Charles Grusch forms part of the documentary record of his time at the agency. After leaving the NRO, Grusch went on to serve as a senior intelligence officer at the NGA.⁹

References (20)

Leaked 1991 NRO security advisory listed codenames and command locations around Nellis AFB, including Groom Lake and Dreamland
“It was a July 1991 security advisory, listing a series of codenames and command locations in and around the massive Nellis Air Force Base in the Nevada desert, which includes within its boundaries the notorious super-secret Area 51 sites known as Groom Lake and Dreamland.”
In Plain Sight ch14:10221-10483 View the source record →
Steven Greer sent Admiral Thomas Wilson's staff a leaked NRO document listing codenames for Special Access Programs ahead of the April 1997 Pentagon visit
“In advance of their visit, Greer had sent Admiral Wilson's staff a leaked US National Reconnaissance Office document that detailed a series of what turned out to be authentic codenames for highly top-secret so-called Special Access Programs (SAPs).”
In Plain Sight ch14:9972-10214 View the source record →
Tom DeLonge claimed NRO satellites were seeing UAP objects entering and leaving the atmosphere and that he had seen the evidence
“US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) surveillance satellites, he claimed, were seeing these UAP objects coming in and out of the atmosphere all the time, and he had seen the evidence.”
In Plain Sight ch19:11732-11909 View the source record →
Tom DeLonge said an adviser from the NRO used the term 'episodic visits' for UAP events
“‘One of my advisers was from the NRO. High up. And they call it episodic visits. That’s all I know.”
In Plain Sight ch19:11920-12013 View the source record →
David Grusch is a veteran of the NGA and the NRO
“is a veteran of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)”
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin char:1052-1158 View the source record →
Grusch served as the NRO's representative to the UAP Task Force from 2019 to 2021
“He served as the reconnaissance office’s representative to the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force from 2019-2021.”
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin char:1164-1278 View the source record →
From 2016 to 2021 Grusch served at the NRO as Senior Intelligence Officer, leading production of the NRO director's daily briefing
“From 2016 to 2021, he served with the National Reconnaissance Office as Senior Intelligence Officer and led the production of the NRO director’s daily briefing.”
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin char:5949-6100 View the source record →
The NRO Operations Center Deputy Director assessed Grusch as an 'adept staff officer and strategist' and 'total force integrator'
“He was assessed by the reconnaissance office’s Operations Center Deputy Director as an “adept staff officer and strategist” and “total force integrator with innovative solutions and actionable results.””
Intelligence Officials Say U.S. Has Retrieved Craft of Non-Human Origin char:6798-6991 View the source record →
Grusch testified at the 2023-07-26 House hearing, identified as Former NRO Representative to the UAPTF
“Mr. David Grusch, Former National Reconnaissance Office Representative, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, Department of Defense, Oral Statement”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency char:3355-3496 View the source record →
Grusch served on the UAP Task Force from 2019 to 2021 in an NRO reservist capacity within the USAF
“In the U.S. Air Force in my National Reconnaissance Office—NRO—reservist capacity, I was a member of the UAP Task Force from 2019 to 2021.”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency char:38214-38347 View the source record →
Grusch served on the NRO operations center's Director's briefing staff, coordinating the Presidential daily brief and supporting contingency operations
“I served at the NRO operations center on the Director's briefing staff, which included the coordination of the Presidential daily brief and supporting a variety of contingency operations, which I was the reserve intelligence division chief backup.”
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency char:38354-38594 View the source record →
Jay Stratton handpicked members for the new UAP task force from intelligence and civilian agencies including the FBI, NRO, NASA and FAA
“So Jay started putting that together, handpicking his members/reps from all the intelligence agencies and civilian-led agencies, from the FBI to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to NASA to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch31:4914-5148 View the source record →
Grusch was the NRO and NGA representative on the Pentagon's UAP Task Force
“He was those agencies' rep on the UAP Task Force”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch32:931-974 View the source record →
Christopher K. Mellon said the NRO, CIA, NGA, FBI and NSA appeared to hold important UAP data they were not sharing with each other
“Meanwhile, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA) also appeared to have important UAP data they were not sharing.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch6:17564-17844 View the source record →
The NRO launched its first high-resolution photoreconnaissance satellite system in 1963, codenamed Gambit
“The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) launched its first high-resolution photoreconnaissance satellite system in 1963, which became known by its codename, Gambit.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:130762-130920 View the source record →
The Hexagon satellite program was an NRO photoreconnaissance system launched in 1971 for wide-area searches of denied territory
“Similar to Gambit, Hexagon was an NRO photoreconnaissance satellite system. It was launched in 1971 to conduct wide-area searches of denied territory.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:131754-131894 View the source record →
Chris Ramsay said the NRO is one of the most secretive departments among US intelligence agencies
“one of the most secretive departments in all of the intelligence agencies in the United States is the national reconnaissance office NRO.”
Journalist Leaked UAP Program "Immaculate Constellation" - DEBRIEFED ep. 10 00:10:24.0-00:10:32.9
The NRO has placed distinctive patches and crests on its satellites, each representing a different mission
“You see, these are patches that represent different satellites that were launched into space. Each of these patches represents a different mission.”
Journalist Leaked UAP Program "Immaculate Constellation" - DEBRIEFED ep. 10 00:11:22.6-00:11:30.3
Grusch later worked as a senior intelligence officer at the NGA and the NRO
“He later worked as a senior intelligence officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)”
Rep. Burlison Welcomes Former U.S. Air Force Officer David Grusch as Special Advisor char:1156-1294 View the source record →
From 2019 to 2021, Grusch officially represented the NRO on the UAP Task Force
“from 2019-2021 officially represented the NRO on the UAP Task Force”
Rep. Burlison Welcomes Former U.S. Air Force Officer David Grusch as Special Advisor char:1304-1366 View the source record →

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)

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