NRO says rapid constellation expansion, commercial partnerships are central to resilience

WASHINGTON — The director of the National Reconnaissance Office told the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee that the NRO has rapidly expanded satellite capacity and is deepening partnerships with industry, other government agencies and allies to deliver more resilient intelligence capabilities.

"We are accelerating build out, launch, and operations of the world's most capable, resilient, and technologically advanced satellite constellation," Dr. Chris Scolese said in his opening statement. He told members the NRO has "launched more than 200 satellites to create the largest and most capable government constellation in our nation's history," and emphasized investments in ground systems, data fusion and AI to speed information to users.

Why it matters: committee members and witnesses framed proliferation, diversification of orbits and commercial integration as ways to improve resiliency against adversary counter‑space activities. Supporters said rapid fielding and diversified suppliers make it harder for rivals to blind U.S. forces.

Scolese described the NRO’s approach as combining government and commercial buses, launch services and multiple phenomenologies (electro‑optical, radar, RF) and fusing commercial streams with national datasets to provide analysts and warfighters faster, more actionable information. He noted the agency’s continued emphasis on workforce and partnerships: "Developing leading research in areas like photonics, quantum sensing, advanced materials, and AIML prepare us for the future." He also cited the agency’s fiscal stewardship: the NRO completed its sixteenth consecutive clean financial statement audit, he said.

Members asked how NRO integrates Space Force guardians and how that relationship benefits both organizations. Scolese said about a third of NRO personnel are uniformed service members—many guardians contribute engineering and acquisition expertise—and that the exchange strengthens acquisition practice across organizations.

What was not claimed: witnesses described rapid expansion and partnerships but did not supply programmatic FY26 line‑item details in the open hearing. Budget specifics and exact counts of active satellites beyond witness statements were not entered into the public record for the session.

The committee will continue oversight of NRO activities via follow‑up questions and requests for documentation in the record.