Persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (P-ISR): Debunking the Myth, Establishing the Concept, and Achieving the Possible

P-ISR is an emerging concept in the United States Marine Corps USMC that differs from previous P-ISR notions. Historically, P-ISR has been synonymous with an unblinking eye capability. However, DOD has never defined P-ISR, and DOD refers to single systems that provide the unblinking eye capability as P-ISR. The Marine Corps envisions P-ISR as a more robust capability, and is the first branch of service to characterize the concept and define the P-ISR term. However, the Marine Corps has neglected to define the anchor of the P-ISR term-persistence. The current Marine Corps draft P-ISR definition does not reflect persistence, nor does it accurately address the Marine Corps P-ISR requirement. Based on interviews, literature, and available reports, the desired Marine Corps P-ISR capability is achievable. The Naval Post Graduate School is currently developing a P-ISR architecture that would enable the Marine Corps to achieve its P-ISR end state. By addressing persistence and P-ISR definitions, the Marine Corps can leverage available P-ISR models to achieve a true P-ISR capability.