Pine Gap is just west of Alice Springs, near the geographic center of Australia.

Warning sign on the road to Pine Gap

Pine Gap is the commonly used name for a satellite tracking station at 23.799 S, 133.737 E, south-west of the city of Alice Springs in the heart of Australia that is operated by Australia and the U.S. It consists of a large computer complex with eight radomes protecting antennas, and has over 800 employees. It is officially called the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap. It is believed to be one of the largest ECHELON ground stations and appears to be physically and operationally similar to the signals intelligence facilities at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado and Menwith Hill, United Kingdom. US government personnel at Pine Gap are believed to be mostly from the National Security Agency and subordinate service-associated agencies, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1741x1159, 231 KB) Summary The road to the Joint Defense Facility of en:Pine Gap, near en:Alice Springs in en:Australia. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1741x1159, 231 KB) Summary The road to the Joint Defense Facility of en:Pine Gap, near en:Alice Springs in en:Australia. ... For other uses, see Satellite (disambiguation). ... An earth station or ground station is the surface-based (terrestrial) end of a communications link to an object in outer space. ... Aerial, Alice Springs Alice Springs Landsat image Alice Springs is a town and the second largest centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Radomes at the Misawa Security Operations Center, Misawa, Japan. ... This article is about the spy network. ... Buckley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east of Denver, Colorado. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Menwith Hill from the air RAF Menwith Hill is an intelligence-gathering base located approximately eight miles west of the town of Harrogate, UK, 54°00′N 1°41′W. Founded in the 1950s to monitor High Frequency radio communications, it has been operated since 1966 by the US National... “NSA” redirects here. ... “CIA” redirects here. ...

While much of its operation is secret, Pine Gap is known to be involved in numerous military satellite operations. As a result, it is occasionally targeted for protests, most recently during the war in Afghanistan. A satellite is an object that orbits another object. ... Combatants Taliban al-Qaeda IMU Hezbi Islami Afghanistan Northern Alliance ISAF Image:Nato 1. ...

In 1999, with the Australian Government refusing to give details to an Australian Senate committee on treaties, Intelligence expert Professor Des Ball from the Australian National University was called to give an outline of Pine Gap. This article is about the year. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... The Australian National University, or ANU, is a public university located in Canberra, Australia. ...

According to Professor Ball, since 9 December 1966 when the Australian and US governments signed the Pine Gap treaty, Pine Gap has grown from the original two antennas to about a dozen and a half in 1999. The number of staff has also increased, from around 400 in the early 1970s, to 600 in the early 1990s, and then to an expected 1,000 early this century. The biggest expansion occurred after the end of the Cold War. is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... 20XX redirects here. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ...

He described the CIA-run facility as the ground control and processing station for geosynchronous satellites engaged in signals intelligence collection, outlining four categories of signals collected: “CIA” redirects here. ... A geosynchronous satellite is a satellite whose orbital track on the Earth repeats regularly over points on the Earth over time. ... SIGINT stands for SIGnals INTelligence, which is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether by radio interception or other means. ...

• telemetry from advanced weapons development, such as ballistic missiles, used for arms control verification;
• signals from anti-missile and anti-aircraft radars;
• transmissions intended for communications satellites; and
• microwave emissions, such as long distance telephone calls.

He described the operational area as containing three sections: Satellite Station Keeping Section, Signals Processing Station and the Signals Analysis Section, from which Australians were barred until 1980. Australians are now officially barred only from the National Cryptographic Room (similarly, Americans are barred from the Australian Cryptographic Room). Telemetry is a technology that allows the remote measurement and reporting of information of interest to the system designer or operator. ... A weapon is a tool used to kill or incapacitate a person or animal, or destroy a military target. ... Diagram of V-2, the first ballistic missile. ... Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. ... This article is about the type of Electromagnetic radiation. ... For other uses, see Telephone (disambiguation). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

Each morning the Joint Reconnaissance Schedule Committee meets to determine what the satellites will monitor over the next 24 hours.

With the closing of the Nurrungar base in 1999, an area in Pine Gap was set aside for the US Air Force's control station for infrared satellites that monitor heat emissions from missiles, giving first warning of ballistic missile launches. This article is about the Australian village. ... This article is about the year. ... “The U.S. Air Force” redirects here. ... Painting of a DSP satellite on station. ...

Protests

Pine Gap has been the subject of a number of protests over the years.

In 1986 over 300 women claiming to be Karen Silkwood were arrested and released without charge after entering Pine Gap. Karen Silkwood (February 19, 1946 – November 13, 1974) was an American labor union activist and chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plant near Crescent, Oklahoma, United States. ...

In 2002 about 500 people protested at the gates of Pine Gap, including some politicians. They were objecting to its use in the then-impending Iraq war and missile defence, with a massive police presence. A few were arrested after a scuffle with police.

In December 2005, six members of the Christians Against All Terrorism group staged a protest outside Pine Gap. Four of them subsequently broke in to the facility, and were arrested. Their trial began on 3 October 2006, and it was the first time that Australia's Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952 was used.^[1] During that case the defendants were threatened with house arrest,^{[citation needed]} Parliamentary privilege was used to disallow their testimony^{[citation needed]} and their moral defences declared 'inadmissable' as evidence in their defence,^{[citation needed]} despite the ethical questions around the operation of the base.^{[citation needed]} Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On June 2 2007, during the Pine Gap Four's trial, Edward Cranswick and Terry Spackman were briefly detained by police after scaling an outer fence of the Joint Defence Facility in a second attempt to conduct a "citizen's inspection." ^{[citation needed]}

See also

• ECHELON
• Menwith Hill
• Misawa Air Base
• Australian constitutional crisis of 1975#Alleged Role of the United States government
• Pine Gap on Google Maps

This article is about the spy network. ... Menwith Hill from the air RAF Menwith Hill is an intelligence-gathering base located approximately eight miles west of the town of Harrogate, UK, 54°00′N 1°41′W. Founded in the 1950s to monitor High Frequency radio communications, it has been operated since 1966 by the US National... Aerial photo of Security Hill American and Japanese air traffic controllers work together in Misawas busy control tower. ... The secretary of the Governor-General, David Smith, announcing the dissolution of Parliament on November 11th, 1975. ...

References

1. ^ Scoop.co.nz (6 October 2006). Christian Pacifists Challenge Pine Gap In Court. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.

• 1999 Joint Standing Committee on Treaties. An Agreement to extend the period of operation of the Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap. Report 26. Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, October 1999.
• 2002 Craig Skehan, "Pine Gap gears for war with eye on Iraq. Sydney Morning Herald, 30 September 2002.
• 2002 MR: Australian Anti Bases Coalition http://www.anti-bases.org/pine_gap_Sept_2002_protest/protest_news.htm
• 2003 Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Pine Gap. Retranscription of program broadcast on 4 August 2003.
• 2007 Pine Gap 6 http://pinegap6.livejournal.com/
• 2007 "Judge rejects Pine Gap house arrest bid" The Australian, 29 May. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C20867%2C21815635-1702%2C00.html&cid=0
• 2007 "Aussies eye BMD role" United Press International, 11 Jun. http://www.upi.com/Security_Terrorism/Briefing/2007/06/11/aussies_eye_bmd_role/2041/&cid=1117183476
• 2007 "Pine Gap protest linked to Iraq war, pacifists tell court" ABC, Australia, 5 Jun. http://abc.net.au/news/items/200706/1943288.htm%3Falicesprings&cid=0
• 2007 Protesters get a wrist slap; http://au.news.yahoo.com/070614/2/13qwi.html

Coordinates: 23.79780° S 133.7366° E is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

• Sarah Smiles and Brendan Nicholson. "Pine Gap's wider missile role". The Age, 21 September 2007.