NRO opens liaison office Published Dec. 8, 2011 WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- A recent meeting held here highlighted the increased communication between the Defense Department and the National Reconnaissance Office -- an organization that has only been visible to the public for little more than a decade. Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Boring of the newly created Air Force Materiel Command/NRO Liaison Office, was among the NRO liaison officers attending the conference at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. As the agency charged with building and flying satellites, NRO is communicating with DOD to push boundaries and increase battlefield intelligence. That is precisely what brought Colonel Boring to Wright-Patterson, where the Air Force Research Laboratory is discovering new capabilities and Aeronautical Systems Center is acquiring new Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms every day. Since arriving on base, Colonel Boring has been meeting with base organizations. "My intent is to let the community know I'm here," Colonel Boring said. "That can open the dialogue on what NRO can do to help AFMC meet its mission." The NRO liaison officers are the bridge between the NRO and their host organizations. They act for the director of the NRO, represent the full scope and capabilities of the NRO to their hosts, and provide an understanding of host user needs back to the NRO. Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, former AFRL commander, was a strong advocate for establishing the liaison office here, and communicated this to current NRO Director and former AFMC Commander, retired Air Force Gen. Bruce Carlson. "Air Force acquisition programs have intelligence requirements that have to be identified early in the process when it is easier to take advantage of existing NRO assets," Colonel Boring said. "The key is to influence acquisition early and often." The same follows for research and development. "We may be able to bring solutions to help the Air Force reach its goal of delivering actionable intelligence to the warfighter," he said. All the NRO liaisons are direct reporting units to the NRO director, meaning they have a direct pipeline right to the top. "That really illustrates the importance NRO places on these offices," he said. Colonel Boring is co-located with the Intelligence Squadron in Headquarters AFMC, and can be reached at (937) 656-7611.