U.S. Army creates new office to run aerial and ground surveillance

The U.S. Army has merged two of its sensor acquisition offices into a single organization responsible for everything from spy planes to perimeter sensors at bases, the service announced. Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors and Project Director Sensors Aerial Intelligence combined on Nov. 1 to form Project Manager Aerial-Terrestrial Surveillance and Reconnaissance, or PM ATSR. The new office brings aerial, ground, identity, force protection and deep-sensing programs under one roof. The Army says equipment that once reached units through separate offices, contracts and timelines will now move through one coordinated process with better-aligned schedules and requirements. Tom Dunaway leads the new office, which will handle intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition and sensor integration. "PM ATSR brings aerial and terrestrial surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities together under one organization so we can deliver more integrated, responsive, and cost-effective solutions to Soldiers," said Project Manager Tom Dunaway. "Our focus is to move faster, align requirements and resources, and continue advancing capabilities that support operations at installations and on the battlefield." The two former offices covered very different equipment. Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors spent decades managing the Army's force protection, identity management and terrain engineering sensors, the systems used to guard bases, identify people and map the ground. Project Director Sensors Aerial Intelligence, chartered in 2020, handled the Army's airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors, the equipment carried by aircraft that collect signals and imagery over the battlefield. The office has supported Army spy plane programs such as ARTEMIS, ARES and ATHENA, which flew modified business jets packed with sensors. The merger follows the Army's broader overhaul of how it buys equipment. In late 2025, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll began consolidating the service's 12 program executive offices under six new Portfolio Acquisition Executives, each covering a broad mission area, Breaking Defense reported. Driscoll said the change could speed up acquisition by 30% or more. PM ATSR sits under the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command and Control and Counter Command and Control. "Merging these project management offices maximizes our ability to rapidly and effectively equip Soldiers with the capabilities they need on the battlefield and at installations," said Chris Manning, portfolio management executive for intelligence and spectrum warfare. "This merger creates unity of effort across the portfolio so we can deliver integrated capabilities to Soldiers more rapidly." HADES Prototype 1 aircraft’s first flight on Sept. 11. 2026. The reorganization comes as the Army's next-generation spy plane moves into testing. The HADES prototype made its first flight on Sept. 11, a program that Project Director Sensors Aerial Intelligence supported alongside the Army's Fixed Wing Project Office. HADES, short for High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, puts signals intelligence and other sensors on a commercial jet that flies faster, farther and higher than the Army's older turboprop surveillance aircraft. The workforce from both former offices moves into PM ATSR, which takes over development, procurement, fielding and sustainment of the Army's aerial and ground sensing equipment.