The leaked documents convey come upwards from the massive trove of classified cloth stolen past times Snowden from the United States of America National Security Agency (NSA) inward 2013 that exposed the extent of the United States of America government's global surveillance programs.
The newly released classified documents, obtained past times The Intercept, contained references to a secretive facility, which was codenamed "Rainfall," but is officially known every bit the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap.
The documents give away that the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, located exterior Alice Springs, deployed cutting-edge satellite technology scientific discipline for detailed geolocation intelligence that helps the United States of America armed forces locate targets for particular forces too drone strikes.
The utilization of unmanned air vehicles, to a greater extent than oftentimes than non known every bit drones, past times the U.S. armed forces has previously been obtained past times The Intercept, contained references to a secretive facility, which was codenamed "Rainfall," but is officially known every bit the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap.
The documents give away that the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, located exterior Alice Springs, deployed cutting-edge satellite technology scientific discipline for detailed geolocation intelligence that helps the United States of America armed forces locate targets for particular forces too blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths inward countries similar Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, too Somalia.
As outlined inward a clandestine intelligence document, Pine Gap's aim is to "support the national safety of both the U.S. too Australia. The [facility] contributes to verifying arms command too disarmament agreements too monitoring armed forces developments."
However, inward reality, Pine Gap has a far broader mission with powerful capabilities than the Australian or U.S. authorities has always publicly acknowledged.
Pine Gap finds Targets for U.S. Drone Strikes
The satellites used past times the Pine Gap are described every bit beingness "geosynchronous"—likely positioned high inward orbit at over 20,000 miles to a higher house the earth's surface—which are equipped with powerful surveillance technology scientific discipline to monitor wireless communications on the ground, similar those sent too received past times mobile phones, radios, too satellite uplinks.
According to the leaked documents, these satellites collect "strategic too tactical military, scientific, political, too economical communications signals," too likewise proceed eyes on whatsoever missile or weapon tests inward targeted countries, pocket intel from unusual armed forces information systems, too render surveillance back upwards to the States forces.
One of the clandestine NSA documents analysed past times the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) suggests that the facility's utilization is non alone to collect signals, but likewise to analyse them, every bit it "detects, collects, records, processes, analyses too reports" on nearly everything—from surface-to-air missiles to anti-aircraft artillery too fighter aircraft.
One mission fifty-fifty pilfered communications from the onetime Soviet Union, China, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, too territories inward the Atlantic Ocean.
In 2013, the Sydney Morning Herald obtained past times The Intercept, contained references to a secretive facility, which was codenamed "Rainfall," but is officially known every bit the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap.
The documents give away that the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, located exterior Alice Springs, deployed cutting-edge satellite technology scientific discipline for detailed geolocation intelligence that helps the United States of America armed forces locate targets for particular forces too deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians.
Trump Administration Doubled the Drone Strikes
Richard Tanter, the University of Melbourne’s professor who has previously studied Pine Gap, told the publication that "Pine Gap volition endure contributing hugely inward real-time to those operations, every bit good every bit inward grooming for them."
"So whether or non the Australian authorities thinks that an ready on on Democratic People's South Korea is either justified or a wise too sensible move, nosotros volition endure business office of that. We'll endure culpable inward price of the consequences," Tanter asserted.Under Trump administration, obtained past times The Intercept, contained references to a secretive facility, which was codenamed "Rainfall," but is officially known every bit the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap.
The documents give away that the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, located exterior Alice Springs, deployed cutting-edge satellite technology scientific discipline for detailed geolocation intelligence that helps the United States of America armed forces locate targets for particular forces too drone strikes too particular operations raids convey doubled, piece simultaneously loosening battlefield rules to foreclose civilian deaths inward such air attacks.
However, David Rosenberg, who worked within Pine Gap every bit a squad leader of weapon signals analysis for at to the lowest degree xviii years until 2008, confirms the facility's geolocation capability, claiming that preventing civilian casualties is a high priority.
"One matter I tin sure enough tell yous the governments of Australia, too the the States would, of course, desire to minimise all civilian casualties," Rosenberg says. "Pine Gap does aid to render limitation of civilian casualties past times providing accurate intelligence."It is non at all surprising to meet Commonwealth of Australia working closely with its U.S. counterparts to aid bear global surveillance since it is a cardinal fellow member of the "Five Eyes" alliance—alongside the US, UK, New Zealand too Canada—all openly shares clandestine intelligence reports.
