Army Combines Aerial and Ground Sensor Offices Under New PM ATSR

On November 1, 2026, the U.S. Army merged Project Manager Terrestrial Sensors (PM TS) and Project Director Sensors Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) into Project Manager Aerial-Terrestrial Surveillance and Reconnaissance (PM ATSR). The new project management office brings aerial, terrestrial, identity, protection, and deep-sensing capabilities into one portfolio. The Army describes the change as part of its modernization effort to better align capabilities, resources, acquisition, and lifecycle management across these areas. PM ATSR operates under Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Command and Control/Counter C2 and is responsible for developing, acquiring, fielding, and sustaining aerial and terrestrial sensing capabilities intended to provide actionable intelligence and improve battlefield awareness for Soldiers.

The organizational change consolidates work that previously moved through separate offices, contracts, and timelines. According to the Army’s announcement, placing the capabilities under a single office is intended to support more coordinated requirements and schedules. Tom Dunaway, the new project manager, said: “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.” The Army also framed the merger as a way to equip Soldiers at both battlefield locations and installations more rapidly.

For industry, PM ATSR’s combined remit is a useful signal about where the Army may coordinate future sensing requirements. Companies providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, sensor integration, identity management, force protection, or deep-sensing technologies should assess how their offerings fit across the consolidated portfolio rather than treating aerial and ground sensing as entirely separate customer pathways. The merger may influence how requirements are organized, how capabilities are prioritized, and how lifecycle support is coordinated. However, those are potential implications of the organizational structure—not announced acquisition actions.

The announcement does not identify a solicitation, contract value, funding decision, competition, award, or procurement timeline. Contractors should therefore distinguish this management reorganization from a contract opportunity and avoid treating it as evidence that a specific procurement is imminent. Businesses can monitor PM ATSR and Army procurement notices for subsequent requirements, while mapping relevant capabilities to the office’s combined mission. Existing Army contracting channels and future notices remain necessary sources for confirming any actual acquisition pathway, scope, schedule, or funding.

• PM TS and PD SAI merged on November 1, 2026, to form PM ATSR.
• The consolidated portfolio includes aerial, terrestrial, identity, protection, and deep-sensing capabilities.
• PAE Command and Control/Counter C2 is the acquisition organization under which PM ATSR operates.
• PM ATSR’s stated mission covers developing, acquiring, fielding, and sustaining aerial and terrestrial sensing capabilities.
• The Army says the merger is intended to align capabilities, resources, acquisition, lifecycle management, requirements, and schedules.
• The stated operational objectives include actionable intelligence, improved battlefield awareness, and integrated, responsive, cost-effective solutions for Soldiers.
• Tom Dunaway leads PM ATSR as project manager; the announcement also quotes Chris Manning, Portfolio Management Executive for Intelligence & Spectrum Warfare.
• Potentially relevant industry capabilities include ISR sensors, sensor integration, identity management, force protection, and deep sensing.
• The announcement establishes no solicitation, award, contract value, funding, competition, or procurement schedule; it is an organizational change, not a contract action.
• Contractors should monitor PM ATSR and Army procurement notices for follow-on opportunities and confirm details through official acquisition announcements.