Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) refers to the sets of collection and processing systems, and associated operations, involved in acquiring and analyzing information about foreign countries. Intelligence is a more general term; surveillance refers to systematic observation of a targeted area or group, usually over an extended time; reconnaissance refers to an effort or a mission to acquire information about a target and can mean a one-time endeavor. ISR collection is broad covering a whole range of targets from Natural resources, Domestic and Foreign policies, Strategic Economic strengths and Military capability. But ISR targeting military capabilities is perhaps of greatest importance and grave consequences. It is an advantage that modern day militaries and intelligence agencies strive to get and cannot do without. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) functions are principal elements of the defense capabilities of the world’s major militaries, and include a wide variety of systems for acquiring and processing information needed by national security decision makers and military commanders of these militaries. From UAV’s, advanced reconnaissance satellites, signals intelligence (SIGNIT), electronic intelligence (ELINT) and human intelligence (HUMNIT), ISR collection processing and dissemination by a military is very broad, crucial, difficult, dangerous and extremely complicated. But it has proved to be an invaluable part of modern day warfare and also in the military strategy of deterrence. Since all three arms of ISR function to serve a single purpose to gain advantage over an enemy, they are considered as part of the greater whole. ISR is typically carried out by the various national intelligence organizations in the world. Some of the most powerful include: the Central intelligence agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in the UK, the Institute for Intelligence and Special task (MOSSAD) in Israel. Powerful militaries also have impressive ISR capabilities with commands, agencies or several units within the services (mainly the Air Force Army and Navy, few nations have Marines operating as a separate service) of these militaries tasked with ISR. In some countries such as France, the National intelligence organization is under the direction of the military. While in other countries such as the US and UK the National intelligence organization is independent from the military though they both carry out their ISR function in concert with one another.
ISR gathering throughout it’s history mainly features espionage activities and features the use of both sophisticated and basic techniques and technologies. One technology has in recent years stood as from the rest as a simple yet very effective tool for ISR gathering-the use of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (the UAV). The UAV is an aircraft that is remotely piloted from a remote location with some of the most advanced able to fly autonomously using pre-programmed flight plans. The UAV has been in existence for quite a while but has only recently had it’s impact felt on the battle field. Although UAV’s are used to carry out a wide array of functions, no function of it is more appreciated than it’s remote sensing function which is central to it’s reconnaissance role and it’s combat role. There are a wide variety of UAV shapes, sizes, configurations, and characteristics. From basic UAV’s equipped with simple camera’s that have a flight time minutes and a very short range, to UAV’s equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), electro-optical (EO) sensors and infrared (IR) sensors that have a very long range and flight time in tens of hours. UAV’s provide a very effective platform for integrating the intelligence process with surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance as the data they relay back to the ground are invaluable to a commander in decision making as well as in the effectiveness, coordination and lethality of a military. The UAV has proved itself as an invaluable ISR tool which provides tremendous ISR capabilities in support of military operations. Some of the most known and capable UAV’s include the: MQ-1 Predator (US), MQ-9 Reaper (US), IAI Heron (Israel), and perhaps the most advanced UAV currently in service RQ-4 Global Hawk. UAV’s with the prefix MQ have attack capability while those with RQ are only for reconnaissance and surveillance. The MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper which is the most powerful UAV in terms of it’s attack capabilities have built up a reputation in the War in Afghanistan where they have been used in Targeted killings of Al-Qaida and Taliban operatives.
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