National Defense Magazine reports that “it’s been common practice for the military to hire contractors to beef up thinly staffed intelligence operations centers in faraway warzones. With crises unfolding in many parts of the globe, the Defense Department simply doesn’t have enough people or equipment to keep up with the demand.”  

“The business of ‘ISR’ — short for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — has been good for the private sector and now appears to be moving to a new level.”  

“Stunning technological advances in areas like spy sensors and data mining are springing up in commercial industries at a rapid pace. Government agencies, including the Defense Department, are finding it difficult to keep up with this technological revolution and are turning to private companies for increasingly sophisticated ISR services.”