Defense News
White House Approves Plan For New Spy Satellites
The AP (4/8, Hess) reports the White House on Tuesday "approved the purchase of pricey new spy satellites and will buy more commercial imagery from the private sector to plug immediate gaps in satellite coverage." An "intelligence official, who spoke to reporters shortly after the White House approved the program, said the new spy satellites would offer the same capability of those now in use." Officials, he said, "were concerned that significant changes in their design could break the budget for the program or delay the launch of the satellites." Sen. Kit Bond, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, "has already complained about the price tag, which he put at more than $10 billion." Reuters (4/8, Shalal-Esa) cites Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, who stressed that the new satellites were needed to ensure the safety of US troops and citizens.
