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Fylingdales
in Yorkshire rrrrrrrrrrrr mrMenwith Hill
in Yorkshire |
Missile Defence
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For the missile defence system to work, the US requires global radar and
tracking facilities, including in the UK, Denmark and Australia in addition
to facilities based in the US. US bases in Britain - RAF Fylingdales and
RAF Menwith Hill, both in Yorkshire - are essential
to US missile defence plans.
RAF Fylingdales
In December 2002, the US requested the use of RAF Fylingdales in Yorkshire
as an Upgraded Early Warning Radar facility for the US missile defence system.
Fylingdales is considered essential for the missile defence system because
its location is ideal for tracking missile launches from the Middle East,
Russia and Eastern Europe.
Fylingdales has operated since 1963 as one of several radar facilities that
provide early warning of ballistic missile launches against the US. Data
from Fylingdales is shared with the UK and NATO.
The Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) that has been requested would involve
software and hardware changes to increase the precision of the existing
radar to track incoming missiles and provide detailed information about
their trajectories to the US missile defence command centre. Although it
looks unlikely at present, the US may also choose to place an X-band radar
somewhere on UK soil.
RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Menwith Hill is a spy base in Yorkshire, which is also expected to play
a role in missile defence as a ground relay system for the Space Based Infrared
Systems (SBIRS) of US military satellites. The SBIRS satellites would detect
infra-red radiation from the heat of missile rockets just after launch (in
their 'boost phase').
Although RAF Menwith Hill is based on UK territory, it is essentially a
US base - where all equipment and data produced on site belong to US intelligence.
Of the 1800 personnel currently located at the base, 1400 are US employees.
The Campaign for the Accountability
of American Bases has unearthed and investigated the crucial role that
Menwith Hill would play, relaying information from the SBIRS satellites
to the US missile defence command centre.
The involvement of Fylingdales and Menwith Hill could make the UK a target
for a state with which the US is engaged in hostilities. Senior British
Defence Officials have admitted that, "Britain would become a target
of rogue states if the government allowed the US to use its bases at Fylingdales
and Menwith Hill."(1)
US-UK Cooperation on Missile Defence
The UK also participates in US missile defence research programmes, under
the terms of a classified agreement dating back to Reagan's plans for a
Star Wars system. Work carried out under the 1985 Strategic Defence Initiative
Memorandum of Understanding includes everything from UK air defences, research
on command and control systems, early warning radar systems, to theatre
missile defence.
The main agencies involved in the UK are the Ministry of Defence and the
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). The work is carried out by
defence contractors such as BAE, Boeing and British universities (such as
Cranfield, Cambridge, Glasgow, Loughborough, Sheffield, Southampton, etc).
The US tempted European defence contractors with lucrative
defence contracts in order to encourage sceptical European governments
to cooperate with missile defence.
Future British involvement in Star Wars
The involvement of Menwith Hill and Fylingdales may be
only the beginning of British participation and cooperation with the US
missile defence system. Ministry of Defence officials have confirmed that
the US might ask for new US interceptor missile sites to be built in Britain
to shoot down ballistic missiles fired by rogue states.
By co-operating with the US on missile defence, Britain is involving itself
with an epic act of weapons proliferation at a time when it is meant to
be committed to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Bush's provocative plans invite potential foes to build more and better
weapons to overwhelm US defences.
1. Richard Norton -Taylor 'Son
of Star Wars' Guardian, 19 April 2000
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