The United States Air Force must invest in nanotechnology to develop intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensor capabilities necessary to maintain United States (US) vital interests in the future. The extrapolation of present scientific development trends suggests sensor components will continue to decrease in size through time. Furthermore, advances in nanotechnology capabilities offer great promise to transform ISR applications through nano-enabled capabilities both to ensure security of US citizens as well as to improve their quality of life. No matter what direction the future takes the US regarding its position in the global nanotechnology community or its public acceptance or rejection of using such nano-enabled ISR sensors, the US will inevitably find itself playing in the nano-enabled ISR sensor game, whether ahead of or behind the rest of the world, or whether in an offensive or defensive mode. Therefore, the US must actively pursue becoming the world's clear nanotechnology leader and the US Air Force must retain a strong commitment to incorporating new nanotechnology capabilities into its ISR sensor systems.