Pine Gap

Pine Gap is a United States Intelligence gathering facility in Australia. It is  southwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

In the late 1960s, a treaty was signed between the United States and Australia to establish a joint intelligence facility to monitor and track Soviet missile capabilities. Whilst most activities are highly classified, it is widely known that, more recently, Pine Gap controls satellites which are used to monitor world affairs for the US, as well as controlling surveillance systems, missile defence systems, air-warfare,  battlefield intelligence, space warfare   , and drone warfare. There is a question regarding the need for US involvement in this facility as Australia has a fully capable computer and intelligence infrastructure and other allied states run similar facilities without US interference.

Conspiracies exist which link the site to covert programs for monitoring and testing of laser weaponry for satellite and space based attack/defence and secret control of UFOs.  This possibly indicates the testing of secret projects for the US who have their own deserts for such.

Pine Gap employs about 800 American intelligence, security military personnel.  from The station is partly run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), US National Security Agency (NSA), and US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and is a key contributor to the NSA's global interception/surveillance effort, which included the ECHELON program.  It is responsible for about 2,000 people in the Alice Springs  region who are US citizens. The US influence in the area is evident by American sports such as baseball and American football. Similarly, the celebration of American festivals which are normally not active in Australia, such as Halloween, Independence Day and Thanksgiving also showcase the US lack of integration into Australian Outback society.  

This area is subject to a native title claim from the Central Aboriginal Land Council.

References

Category:United States intelligence agencies
Category:Northern Territory