More ISR intel analysts needed

[unhappycamper]

More ISR intel analysts needed
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Aug 19, 2008 7:37:47 EDT

Much has been made about the need for more unmanned aerial vehicle pilots to keep up with demand in the war zones, but there’s more to it: The service needs to increase the number of airmen trained to analyze the intelligence these UAVs collect.

“It’s what I call the blinding flash of the obvious,” said Lt. Gen. Gary North, U.S. Air Forces Central commander.

The Air Force over the last year has more than doubled the number of round-the-clock UAV orbits over Iraq and Afghanistan — from 12 to 27 — and has had to rapidly train pilots to keep up with the pace. Air Force officials say they want to increase that total to 50 orbits by 2011.

For each orbit, though, about six intelligence airmen are needed to analyze the full-motion video piped back. Those airmen then produce intelligence products — such as maps showing houses visited by targeted insurgents or where certain vehicles stopped — and ship them to ground commanders in theater.

“Behind every one of these (combat air patrols) ... the base of the triangle demands from our the integrated and synchronized analysis” of the full-motion video and signals intelligence collected, North said.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/08/airforce_intel_jobs_081808/