Store Phone: 01423 777759/777758. [10] The operations building was located inside a secure compound, within a large antenna field, approximately 1.6 kilometres (0.99mi) from the main site. During the renovations, the NSA shipped in new computer systems and laid 182 miles of cables, enough to stretch from New York City to the outskirts of Boston. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! The base went through a series of updates in order to fulfill its new mission. See All FAQs, An official website of the United States government. What housing allowances am I eligible for? AHRN.com Currently Deployed Installations. [20], On 1 October 2000, the 451st Intelligence Squadron, was re-designated as the 451st Information Operations Squadron, before reverting to the 451st Intelligence Squadron on 1 April 2007. Its role was to intercept communications flowing across commercial satellite uplinks, according to NSA documents. [7], Operationally, Menwith Hill was assigned to the USASA Headquarters in Frankfurt, West Germany, whereas for logistical support it was attached to the US Air Force's Third Air Force, which at the time had its headquarters in the UK. In Afghanistan, for instance, analysts at the base used the VSAT surveillance to help track down suspected members of the Taliban, which led to approximately 30 enemy killed during one series of attacks that were mentioned in a top-secret July 2011 report. A spy satellite launched in 2009 and operated from Menwith Hill. The outcome of the operation, however, is unclear, as it is not revealed in the document. Find the travel option that best suits you. Learn more at the HOMES.mil site. To keep information about Menwith Hills surveillance role secret, the U.S. and U.K. governments have actively misled the public for years through a cover story portraying the base as a facility used to provide rapid radio relay and conduct communications research. A classified U.S. document, dated from 2005, cautioned spy agency employees against revealing the truth. Such links are provided consistent with the purpose of the Web site. Although nominally an RAF. [32], Site security is provided by the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP). How can we say that Menwith can carry out operations of which there is absolutely no accountability to the public? In the late 1980s, international communication networks were revolutionized by new fiber-optic undersea cables. Rome2rio makes travelling from Brixton (Station) to RAF Menwith Hill easy. The cheapest way to get from Heathrow Terminal 5 Underground Station to RAF Menwith Hill costs only 72, and the quickest way takes just 3 hours. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. The site acts as a ground station for a number of satellites operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office, on behalf of the US National Security Agency, with antennae contained in a large number of highly distinctive white radomes, and is alleged to be an element of the ECHELON system. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Photo of Princess Charlotte shared as she turns 8, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules'. Were kept entirely in the dark about them. [16], A detachment of the US Army 704th Military Intelligence (MI) Brigade was established at Menwith Hill in 1985. Within the operations centre was the communications centre which was manned by cryptographers using deciphering equipment, however a large amount of the signals collected were encrypted before being forwarded for processing to the US National Security Agency's Fort Meade facility in Maryland. Instead of using it for a local base, the land was given to the American through a leasing contract. ). The British War Office has decided to purchase a little under 550 acres. The application comes after the councilapproved construction of a single additional radome in November 2018, due to be built in August 2021. C-3566-02 . RAF Menwith Hill is a co-base run by the United States of America and the United Kingdom. - Assisting in establishing utility services Below is a list of installations that are supported by the Automated Housing Referral Network. This data source alone provides more data for Menwith Hill analysts to sift through than our entire enterprise had to deal with in the not-so-distant past.. According to top-secret documents obtained by The. Local Community Schools are available, Support Services Map of the Area Although the American influence in the area was always pretty important, the natives have never agreed with such bases on their territories. Sounds like a good summer homework project for Menwith.. California king size bed. 44 Raf Menwith Hill Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 44 Raf Menwith Hill Premium High Res Photos Browse 44 raf menwith hill photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. The military base deals with intelligence and communication services. Menwith Hill's new principal, Kevin Brewer, came from Heidleberg High School, Germany, which closed in the spring as part of the closure of the military community there. For this reason, according to the NSAs documents, in the mid-1990s the U.S. intelligence community was convinced that satellite communications would soon become obsolete, to be fully replaced by fiber-optic cable networks. Copyright 1998 MilitaryBases.com Not affiliated with any government agencies. A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes that the decision was based on technological advances, which he declined to discuss, though he mentioned improvements in server capacity to the hardware that were using; were doing more with less., The documents provided by Snowden shine light on some of the specific technological changes. A crucial moment came in 2008, when then-NSA Director Keith Alexander introduced a radical shift in policy. Where can I find an application for housing? There are only 10 RAF personnel at Menwith Hill but there are around 1,000 US military and civilian personnel. The modern Menwith Hill is a very different place. Of the 1,800 employees in 2012, 400 were British and 1,200 were American employees of the NSA. The MHO will assist you every step of the way to help you find your new home in the local community. [36] Duncan Campbell presented a report commissioned by STOA concerning the ECHELON system, at a "hearing of the Committee on Citizens Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs on the subject the European Union and data protection" which prompted the European Union to set up the Temporary Committee on the ECHELON Interception System. Menwith Hill is eight miles west of Harrogate on the fringes of the Yorkshire Dales, known for its distinctive large white golf ball domes housing radar equipment. AHRN.com Currently Deployed Installations. Consequently, Menwith Hill became a vital asset in the U.S. governments counterterrorism campaign after the 9/11 attacks. [9], Construction of the station on behalf of the United States Army Security Agency (USASA) began in April 1956. The site was improved with a huge satellite dish for communications. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. As of 2009, Menwith Hills foreign satellite surveillance mission, code-named MOONPENNY, was monitoring 163 different satellite data links. The commercial satellite communication business is alive and well and bursting at the seams with increasingly sophisticated bulk DNI (Digital Network Intelligence) traffic that is largely unencrypted, the NSA reported in a 2006 document. Read about our approach to external linking. However, if the site was compromised during an invasion, three earth-covered bunkers contained ammunition and thermite charges which could be used to destroy classified equipment and material. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. Housing Services 12 October 2020. Our programs include activities as diverse and challenging as membership clubs, bowling centers, family care facilities (youth, infant, and child), lodging . There is always a good selection of rental homes in local towns and villages. [34], On 1 April 2006, RAF Menwith Hill was designated as a protected site for the purposes of Section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Living locallyprovides members and families the chance to experience a new culture and make friends with their host country neighbors. His Majesty's Government (HMG) is entitled to possession of the site and retains control over its use and its facilities, though the administration of the base is the responsibility of the US authorities,[1] with support provided by around 400 staff from Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), in addition to United States Air Force (USAF) and US National Security Agency (NSA) personnel. The U.S. and U.K. governments have actively misled the public for years through a cover story.. But the lethal use of the surveillance data does not appear to have been restricted to conventional war zones such as Afghanistan or Iraq. In particular, there has been an attempt to establish whether the U.K. has aided U.S. drone bombings outside of declared war zones in countries including Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and are in some cases considered by United Nations officials to possibly constitute war crimes and violations of international law. Furnishings Management It is said to be the widest and most important monitoring site in the world. By 2008, the apparent popularity of GHOSTHUNTER within the intelligence community meant that it was rolled out at other surveillance bases where NSA has a presence, including in Ayios Nikolaos, Cyprus, and Misawa, Japan. Prince Charles visits RAF Menwith Hill. The MHO can assist you by: What is clear, however, is that the base has targeted countries such as Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia as part of location-tracking programs like GHOSTHUNTER and GHOSTWOLF which were created to help pinpoint individuals so they could be captured or killed suggesting it has played a part in drone strikes in these countries. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? [33] One of three MDP Central Support Group units is based at Menwith Hill, providing armed officers who can be deployed regionally at short notice, to support wider MDP operations. A large chunk of this space 10,000 square feet was set aside for a data center that boasted the ability to store huge troves of intercepted communications. Yet the British government has steadfastly refused to comment, citing a longstanding policy not to discuss matters related to national security. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnt done it? Housing Early Assistance Tool (HEAT)creates an easy on-line experience to connect you, the Service Member, with your future destination and offers an on-line venue to obtain housing assistance prior to a PCS transfer. Find all the transport options for your trip from Brixton (Station) to RAF Menwith Hill right here. [7] The site was considered by the US as suitable for gathering signals intelligence from the northern parts of Western Europe and Eastern Europe, specifically the Soviet Union and its associated Warsaw Pact countries. But the site also houses a self-contained community, accessible only to those with security clearance. Use the resources provided to become familiar with the housing options and support services available to you. "[28], Coordinates: 540029N 14124W / 54.00806N 1.69W / 54.00806; -1.69. The technique, the document revealed, was linked to a broader classified initiative called GHOSTWOLF, described as a project to capture or eliminate key nodes in terrorist networks by focusing primarily on providing actionable geolocation intelligence derived from [surveillance] to customers and their operational components.. Alongside NSA employees within the complex, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office also has a major presence at the site, running its own ground station from which it controls a number of spy satellites. According to Kenneth Bird, who worked at the base in the 1960s during the Cold War, it was focused then on monitoring high frequency radio signals in Eastern Europe. The plan for three shelters - called radomes - at the RAF base in North Yorkshire was lodged by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Find military housing by Hill AFB, apartments and homes for rent, and houses for sale with AHRN.com. [18], Planning permission was granted in August 2019 for the construction of three new radomes at the site, bringing the total number to thirty-seven. Menwith Hill is a US base on 545 acres of land in beautiful Nidderdale (one of the Yorkshire Dales) near Harrogate North Yorkshire HG3 2RF UK. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. It is entirely run by the British Royal Air Force, but most of the services are provided by the Americans the US Air Force. Housing in the Local Community Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA) When you arrive at RAF Menwith Hill, you will be staying in temporary accommodations until you move into permanent quarters. It was alleged the link allowed mass interception of civilian telephone and telex communications between the United States, UK and Europe. But they have also aided covert missions in countries where the U.S. has not declared war. Rapporteur Gerhard Schmid (11 July 2001). [29], The US Air Force's 421st Air Base Squadron provides Menwith Hill with base and mission support services. Richard Kolko, a spokesperson for the DNI, said in a statement: The men and women serving the intelligence community safeguard U.S. national security by collecting information, conducting analysis, and providing intelligence for informed decision making under a strict set of laws, policies and guidelines. It is not clear precisely how many communications Menwith Hill is capable of tapping into at any one time, but the NSAs documents indicate the number is extremely large. HQ Air Force Housing has successfully implemented HEAT across the AF Enterprise so members can reach out to installations when preparing for transition. There are some 2,200 personnel at Menwith Hill, the majority of whom are Americans. Central Michigan University (CMU) Online Education, Delta Dental TRICARE Retiree Dental Program. According to top-secret documents obtained by The Intercept from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, Menwith Hill has two main spying capabilities. INSCOM transformed A Company, 743rd Military Intelligence Battalion into the 713th Military Intelligence Group. According to documents lodged by the MoD the proposed additions are "required to meet the operational output of the station". They confirmed that Menwith Hill was "linked directly to the headquarters of the US National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade in Maryland. See Furnishings Management for a list of the Duration of Tour Items available. The suggestion that national and international communications were monitored was denied. You need to obtain legal liability and personal property insurance for your possessions and should choose the options and amounts that best fit your needs and lifestyle. How do I begin out-processing from housing? Due to adverse ground conditions and weather, there were delays to the construction programme, with the station finally becoming operational during June 1959. Drive 37 min. The Housing Office will pass you a list of local letting agents. Over the history, the ECHELON system was the subject of a huge controversy due to its monitoring power. [48][49][50][51][52], In April 2012 activists affiliated with the global Occupy Movement held a four-day campsite at Menwith Hill. The site contains an extensive satellite ground station and is a communications intercept and missile warning site[1] and has been described as the largest electronic monitoring station in the world.[2]. Hours of Operation: Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Closed U.S. and U.K. holidays, Family Days and Goal Days. The effect of the act was to make it a specific criminal offence for a person to trespass into the station. What should I do to start planning my move to an overseas location? Most notably, they show that there has been significant investment in introducing new and more sophisticated mass surveillance systems at Menwith Hill in recent years. Any reference to satellites being operated or any connection to intelligence gathering is strictly prohibited.. Please note that they do not usually offer a service to transport you to viewings public or private. The NSA developed similar methods at Menwith Hill to track down terror suspects in Yemen, where the U.S. has waged a covert drone war against militants associated with al Qaeda in the Northern Peninsula. The documents obtained by The Intercept reveal that spy satellites operated at Menwith Hill today can target communications in China and Latin America, and also provide continuous coverage of the majority of the Eurasian landmass, where they intercept tactical military, scientific, political, and economic communications signals. But perhaps the most significant role the base has played in recent years has been in the Middle East and North Africa. The three new radomes would be 21 metres (69ft) in diameter and located in the southern part of the site. Installations are accessible through the HEAT tool across CONUS and most OCONUS installations. In early 2012, Menwith Hills analysts were again called upon to track down a VSAT: this time, to assist British special forces in Afghanistans Helmand Province. Surveillance tools such as the GHOSTHUNTER system were developed to directly aid military operations, pinpointing the locations of targeted people or groups so that they could then be captured or killed. Among operations buildings in which analysts listen in on monitored conversations, there is a bowling alley, a small pool hall, a bar, a fast food restaurant, and a general store. The listening base plays a role in US and UK intelligence-gathering A plan for extra radar shelters at Menwith Hill communications and intelligence base have been approved. On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. [24], During the 2009 G-20 London Summit NSA intercept specialists based at Menwith Hill attempted to target and decode the encrypted telephone calls of the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. The main mission on base is to monitor communications and provide intelligence support service to the UK and the US. Serving RAF Alconbury, RAF Croughton, RAF Lakenheath, RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Mildenhall and Stavanger, Norway. Fax: 01423 771508. Successive U.K. governments have publicly stated that all activities at the base are carried out with the full knowledge and consent of British officials. For years, Reprieve and others have sought clarification from the British government about the role of U.K. bases in the U.S. covert drone program, which has killed large numbers of civilians in countries where we are not at war, she told The Intercept. They confirmed that Menwith Hill was "linked directly to the headquarters of the US National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade in Maryland. Add office telephone number 262-7886 (01423 777886) For more information about your OHA and MIHA, visit the Defense Travel Management Office website. The government housing team will provide you the latest information on the local housing situation as well as local laws governing off-base housing. At the same time, the base is part of a comprehensive ECHELON system. The NSA National Security Agency decided to take over the base. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Menwith Hill has many of the services offered on larger military bases. GHOSTHUNTER could also home in on VSATs in Pakistan, Somalia, Algeria, the Philippines, Mali, Kenya, and Sudan, the documents indicate. [40], On 3 November 1999, the BBC reported that they had confirmation from the Australian Government of the existence of a powerful "global spying network" codenamed Echelon, that can eavesdrop on every single phone call, fax or e-mail, anywhere on the planet" with Britain and the United States as the chief protagonists. In CONUS, fees for realtor services are not reimbursable. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk. Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Though the base is officially called RAF Menwith Hill, most of the staff there are US employees of the NSA. [22] In March 2012 researcher Dr. Steve Schofield of BASIC produced a 65-page report called "Lifting the Lid on Menwith Hill",[23] funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and commissioned and published by the Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has applied for an extensive overhaul of the entrance to RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate.