SECDEF Emphasis on UAV Motion Imagery ISR Memo from SECDEF Cohen to DoD leadership, 9 March 1999
“...the Department has invested significant resources in developing various UAV systems to meet our Nation's 21st Century surveillance and reconnaissance needs……DOD must field UAVs at the earliest practicable date and plan for evolutionary improvements.”
we must "Fund UAV investment plans that include sufficient resources for military utility demonstrations, all required infrastructure support and development to meet full mission requirements….”
”...we should take the lessons learned from the Predator to ensure high altitude endurance and tactical UAVs are sufficiently funded in [program objective memorandum] submissions..."
we should "engage our Allies early in the development process" to help identify common performance requirements and interoperability issues, …
"This comprehensive effort needs to support the Tactical Control System, common data link, and other processing and dissemination systems that can operate in a netted [long-distance] environment,”
"I expect full support of ...USD (A&T) and ASD(C3I)... efforts and look forward to semi-annual reports updating me on our progress toward achieving these goals,"