Not long ago, the task of gathering and processing intelligence was generally viewed as a staff function carried out in support of operational commanders. The terms "surveillance" and "reconnaissance," meanwhile, still conjured up images of spyglasses and Jeb Stuart's Civil War cavalry movements. Now, however, the three functions have been fused into the hybrid known as ISR, a capability seen by many as perhaps the top Air Force contribution to the Global War on Terrorism. In less than a decade, ISR has vaulted to this lofty position on the strength of sophisticated networks and new tactics that have created an in-your-face asset for America's combat forces. ISR now encompasses activities of numerous fixed-wing and space-based sensors, plus the cyberspace networks that link these platforms together. How good is today's ISR system? Fighters such as the F-16 now routinely use their sensors not only for weapon targeting but also for surveillance. Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, commander of US Air Forces Central, told the National Journal not long ago, "We literally have pilots now walking ground forces through cornfields and backyards, telling them where insurgents are hiding."
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