Menwith Hill in Brief Menwith Hill Station is near Harrogate in Yorkshire and employs around 1,500 US civilians and service-personnel. The base was originally made available to the US Army in 1951 for command, control and communications and intelligence gathering. Satellite interception activity has been carried out there for nearly 30 years, and it has been run by the US National Security Agency since 1966. After the 1991 gulf war, the station was given an award for its contribution to US military action. Satellite technology based at Menwith is understood to have been an important part of the UK and US nuclear weapons command and control systems over the years. The base is still officially known as RAF Menwith Hill although it is not a British base, apart from being located on British soil. Menwith Hill is now to house the
European Ground Relay Station for something called the Space Based
Infra Red System (SBIRS). Why is this significant? The US Missile
‘Defense’* programme envisages a ‘layered’ system
of satellites and other sensors and weapons to intercept missiles.
SBIRS would be a key part of this, providing information via satellites
of missile launches.
Shield and sword Missile ‘defense’ advocates – including the UK government recently – have often responded to concerns about missile ‘defense’ by trying to reassure doubters that shooting down missiles can only be a good thing. It is presented as a shield to provide protection – why should anyone be against such a thing? But shields have traditionally been important tools for those with offensive intentions. They may not inflict damage directly, but they give those possessing them a powerful advantage over an adversary. As an example of this, the US military is actively exploring the possibility of using of space, not simply for satellites but also as an arena for deploying laser weapons. They are particularly keen that they should control the military use of space. Many analysts are very clear however that this approach runs the risk of provoking an arms race into a new realm; a realm in which there are so far no weapons deployed.
Bringing the role of Menwith into the open? In February 2003 the UK government agreed to a request from the government of the United States that they should be allowed to upgrade the early-warning military radar system at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire, with a view to its crucial role in the US missile ‘defense’ system. Shortly before this agreement was announced the Ministry of Defence produced a Public Discussion Paper on the issue. But Menwith Hill is not mentioned once in this paper, even though Fylingdales would need SBIRS if it is to play the role envisaged for it in US proposals. In February 2002 a senior UK
Ministry of Defence official told the House of Commons Defence
Committee that the use of Menwith Hill for missile ‘defense’ purposes
would need UK approval. But the SBIRS system is already being developed
there. Does the UK government intend to acknowledge Menwith Hill’s role
in US Missile Defense in its public discussions? We think it should do
so. Menwith Hill matters. * We have used the US spelling of ‘Defense’ here and put it in quotation marks to alert people to the fact that it is a US system and is part of an offensive military strategy.
Contact NFPB and CAAB for details (see below) Get more information and discuss it with others. Here are some starting points: - Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB) 01943 466405, www.caab.org.ukA fuller list of information sources – with postal addresses for UK organisations – is available from our address below and links to other sources are put on our web site, from time to time. We are also a member of the Missile Defence Working Group, which has produced a briefing paper and short leaflet: both are available on request.
- Can the UK play a more active role in reducing the threat of ballistic missiles through diplomacy and confidence-building and in preventing the unprecedented use of space for weapons deployment? Northern Friends Peace Board |
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