UAV Management and Oversight Several DoD organizations have played continuing roles in the oversight and guidance of UAV capabilities, acquisition, operation, force mix and resource allocations during FY 1997. Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) DARO is in its fifth year as DoD’s single focal point for improvement of airborne reconnaissance capabilities, reporting to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology (USD(A&T)). DARO has OSD-level oversight responsibility for airborne reconnaissance architecture determination and systems interface requirements. Accordingly, it develops and coordinates policies and standards to ensure system interoperability, performs system-level trades to support architectural migration and acquisition decisions, and provides planning and resource guidance for the DoD Components’ acquisition programs. These programs constitute the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Program (DARP), and are funded through Defense-wide and DoD Component budget accounts. They encompass manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, sensors and links, their ground stations, and modification activities. Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Steering Committee (DARSC) The DARSC is the DoD-wide corporate body that provides executive-level oversight and guidance to the DARO. It is chaired by the USD(A&T); vice chair is the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS). It meets as necessary to resolve major airborne recon-naissance issues. Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) and JROC Review Board (JRB) The JROC reviews operational requirements representing the interests of the operational or warfighting community and its commanders-in-chief (CINCs). The JROC’s Chairman is the VCJCS and the JRB is its staff-level review and coordination body. During FY 1996, the JROC issued ten memoranda (JROCMs) addressing UAV priorities and key issues, and providing its assessments and recommendations. Its FY 1997 JROCMs are summarized below. UAV Special Studies Group (SSG) The JROC established the UAV SSG as its staff-level advisory and action organization for the review of UAV issues. Specific SSG responsibilities include the assessment and evaluation of mission needs and joint UAV requirements and issues, to include Operational Requirements Documents (ORDs), interoperability issues, and programmatic aspects such as performance, cost and schedule status. During FY 1997, the UAV SSG developed and coordinated the UAV mission/payload priority guidance with the Services and CINCs and briefed the JRB, as documented on p. 38.