Conclusion

In the words of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William A. Owens: "Technological innovation is an invaluable combat multiplier, both for the near-term and the future." It is the ultimate goal of this Technology Plan to serve as a guidepost to focus attention on the technological needs for an affordable future airborne reconnaissance architecture. Future conflicts necessitate exploiting technology to connect all elements of the battle space -- on land, sea, air and in space -- to provide the warfighter with the information required to win decisively, efficiently, and with minimal loss of life.

Table 2 Airborne Reconnaissance Systems/Platforms

 OBJECTIVE 2010

Figure 8 Technology Plan Support for Migration to the Objective Architecture