NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE (NRO)

Created in August 1960, the NRO was given responsibility for the supervision of satellite systems in the United States, notionally under the secretary of defense but actually answering to the director of central intelligence, who assigned personnel to the NRO, was its principal consumer, set its requirements, and provided the imagery analysis. The existence of the organization, which operates more than 30 ground stations across the globe and is based near Dulles International Airport, in Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., remained unannounced until 1992. In 1995 some responsibility for product processing was passed to the U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency. In 2005 the NRO’s director was Peter J. Teets.