The Distinction Between ISR and IAA
The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance have capabilities that are aimed at improving the informational and situation awareness to the department of homeland security. The capabilities of ISR have increased in demand since the incident of Hurricane Katrina. The same capabilities of ISR are the ones that are termed Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA). The Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA) capabilities have been leveraged to respond to various kinds of threats such as hurricanes, wildfires or even ocean oil spill.
The ISR has the capability to provide invaluable situational awareness from various intelligence disciplines. The intelligence can be in the form of signals or imagery to the military commanders. Improved ISR provides the military commanders with the big picture, enables them to have a clear understanding of the issues as well as allow them to apply the available resources in an efficient manner.
The ISR imagery intelligence capabilities were designed to support civil authorities and humanitarian operations in case of an occurrence of a natural disaster. During Hurricane Katrina, the ISR capabilities were used to provide the military with full-motion video and imagery of the hurricane (Knight, 2008). The ISR platforms employed the synthetic and electro-optical aperture imaging systems which increased the effectiveness of response in incidents from homeland security significantly through the provision of the first responders as well as the incident commanders with the same level of incident awareness as the military commanders.
On the other hand, DOD capabilities can satisfy the informational requirements of the ISR. However, the IAA is tasked with other capabilities to survey large areas through the use of radar, infrared and optical imaging techniques. The only difference that exists between the two is that the IAA operates only within the American borders while the ISR operates both within and without the American borders.
Benefits of Using IAA in Homeland
The ability to provide support...
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