NASIC provides vital scientific, technical intelligence solutions

  • Published
  • By Col. Leah Lauderback
  • National Air and Space Intelligence Center commander
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio --  rom time to time, I am asked about the static display outside of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.  "What's a Soviet fighter doing on a U.S. Air Force installation?"

The Moldovan MiG-29 that sits in front of NASIC represents the oldest legacy mission here at the center -Foreign Materiel Exploitation. We procured this aircraft, and 20 others just like it, in October 1997.  This was done for two reasons: to keep these weapon systems out of the hands of an emerging enemy; and to study the aircraft and its components, that we may understand our adversary's weapons systems and how to defeat them. 

Foreign materiel exploitation has been part of the NASIC mission since 1917, and over time, the Center has perfected the craft under the guidance and expertise of some great leaders and innovators.  The most notable of these leaders is Brig Gen Harold Watson and his "Whizzers."

In the days after World War II, Watson and his group brought advanced German aircraft back to the United States for study.  The most famous of these was the Messerschmidt 262, the world's first operational jet fighter. The lessons learned from reverse-engineering this and other systems like it laid the groundwork for the many advancements of today's aircraft technologies fielded by the U.S. Air Force and fellow services.  In January, we will continue to remember Watson's legacy as we mark 21 years since his passing. 

Carrying on the Watson legacy is an honor I cherish as the commander of NASIC, a vital Center of Excellence for Scientific and Technical Intelligence. Today, foreign materiel exploitation is just one of many things for which the center is responsible. We are a global intelligence enterprise which fulfills the needs of today's and tomorrow's warfighter, aids in shaping national and defense policy and guides the development of future weapons systems. Our products and services play a key role in ensuring that United States forces avoid technological surprise and can counter existing and evolving foreign air, space and cyberspace threats.

Today, there are many new challenges facing our military that even Watson may not have envisioned in his tenure.  As our adversaries grow and modernize, we may face the potential of fighting in a future conflict without the benefit of air superiority that U.S. forces have maintained since the Korean War. We operate and defend a growing cyber infrastructure that is interconnected with the private sector, with links and nodes that are constantly evolving.  This provides challenges in defining operational authorities and lanes in the road for action against those who would do harm in the cyber environment - both foreign and domestic.

This is why I am proud of what we do what we do at NASIC.  Every day we discover new information that will help maintain the United States' dominance in air, space and cyberspace.  We truly have some of the best and brightest serving our nation - providing custom-tailored scientific and technical intelligence solutions for the DoD and beyond.  I am thankful they are on my side, as we face the challenges of the future together.