RAF Menwith Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RAF Menwith Hill
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| Near Harrogate, North Yorkshire in England | |
Radomes at RAF Menwith Hill
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 RAF Menwith Hill
Location in North Yorkshire
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| Coordinates | 54°00′29″N 001°41′24″W / 54.00806°N 1.69000°W |
| Type | RAF station (US Visiting Forces) |
| Area | 605 acres (245 ha) |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator | |
| Condition | Operational |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1956 – 1959 |
| In use | 1959–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 421st Air Base Squadron |
RAF Menwith Hill is a special base near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It's a Royal Air Force (RAF) station, but it's also used by the United States. This base helps both the UK and the US with important communications and intelligence work.
The site has many large radomes, which are white, dome-shaped buildings that protect satellite dishes. People often call them "golf balls" because of their shape. RAF Menwith Hill is known as a place where signals are intercepted and warnings about missiles are received. Some even say it's the biggest electronic monitoring station in the world!
The UK Ministry of Defence owns the base. However, the US Department of Defense uses it under an agreement. The UK government still has control over how the base is used. But the US military runs the day-to-day operations. Around 400 staff from GCHQ (a UK intelligence agency) work there. Also, staff from the US Air Force and the US National Security Agency (NSA) are present. In 2014, fewer American staff were needed because technology improved.
The base works as a ground station for satellites. These satellites are run by the US National Reconnaissance Office for the NSA. The "golf balls" protect the antennas that receive and send signals. Some people believe the base is part of a system called ECHELON.
RAF Menwith Hill is one of three major satellite monitoring stations used by the US globally. The other two are in America and Australia. They all work together to gather important information for the US, UK, and Australia. The Australian site is called Pine Gap.
Contents
History of RAF Menwith Hill
How the Base Started (1954–1959)
In 1954, the British War Office bought land in North Yorkshire. This land was then given to the United States Department of Defense. The US thought this spot was perfect for listening to radio signals. They wanted to gather signals intelligence from parts of Western Europe and Eastern Europe, especially the Soviet Union and its allies. The Yorkshire Dales area had very little background radio noise. This made it an excellent place for listening to faint signals. The UK promised the US they could use the site for at least 21 years.
Building the station began in April 1956. It was first called Field Station 8613. Later, its name changed to 13th USASA Field Station and then to Menwith Hill Station. The construction faced delays due to bad ground conditions and weather. The station finally started working in June 1959.
Early Operations (1960–1966)
When it first opened, Menwith Hill was connected to the US Army Security Agency in West Germany for its main operations. For supplies and support, it worked with the US Air Force's Third Air Force in the UK. US Army police and British police kept the base secure. If the base was ever in danger, there were special bunkers. These bunkers held materials to destroy secret equipment.
The station had a main building, living quarters for staff, and places like a cinema. The main operations building was in a secure area. It was surrounded by many antennas. These were large directional antennas that could pick up signals from all over the world. Many receivers were used to collect different types of signals. These included voice calls and quick bursts of data. Many of the signals collected were encrypted. They were then sent to the US National Security Agency (NSA) in Maryland for processing.
NSA Takes Over (1966–1996)
In the 1960s, technology changed a lot. Satellites became important for gathering intelligence. Because of this, the skills of engineers from the National Security Agency (NSA) became very valuable. So, in August 1966, the NSA took control of Menwith Hill Station. The NSA made the station bigger in the 1970s and 1980s. They added new buildings and made the operations center larger.
The first two radomes were put in place in 1974. These domes protect the satellite dishes. People started calling them "golf balls." By this time, about 800 people were working at the base. In 1976, the British government agreed to let the US use the site for another 21 years.
Menwith Hill became well-known in 1980. A British magazine wrote that it might be the world's largest phone tapping facility. It also pointed out how secret the base was. Investigations found that in the early 1960s, Menwith Hill was connected to the UK's main phone network. This connection might have allowed the base to listen to many phone calls and messages between the US, UK, and Europe. The NSA said they only "rerouted" signals. They denied that they monitored national and international communications.
RAF Menwith Hill Today (1996 to Present)
On February 19, 1996, the station was officially renamed RAF Menwith Hill. This change helped it fit in with other bases the UK provided to the US.
In 1997, British Telecom (a phone company) said that cables were installed between Menwith Hill and the main phone network in 1975. These connections were updated in 1992 with new, faster cables. Later, two more cables were added. These cables could handle over 100,000 phone calls at the same time.
In 2002, the US Air Force took over the administrative support for Menwith Hill. This made it similar to other US facilities in the UK. However, the US Army still has a presence there.
A report in 2012 said that Menwith Hill's main job is to "provide intelligence support for UK, US and allied interests." The base had a large expansion project called Project Phoenix. In 2012, about 1,800 people worked at the base. Around 400 were British, and 1,200 were American NSA employees.
During the 2009 G-20 London Summit, NSA specialists at Menwith Hill tried to listen to the encrypted phone calls of the Russian president. By November 2017, the base had 627 US staff and 578 UK staff.
Base Facilities
In August 2019, permission was given to build three new radomes. This will bring the total number of "golf balls" at the site to thirty-seven. These new radomes will be 21 meters (about 69 feet) wide. The base now covers 605 acres (about 2.4 square kilometers).
How the Base Works
Ownership and Management
RAF Menwith Hill is owned by the British Ministry of Defence (MOD). Even though it's an RAF station, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) uses it. This is thanks to an agreement from 1951 and other secret deals. The MOD still controls how the site is used. But the US authorities are in charge of running the base day-to-day.
The US Air Force's 421st Air Base Squadron helps run Menwith Hill. This squadron provides support services for the base and its missions.
Base Mission
The Royal Air Force states that "RAF Menwith Hill is a key part of the US DOD's worldwide defense communications network." Its main job is to "provide intelligence support for UK, US and allied interests." The base is a field station for the US National Security Agency (NSA). Other parts of the DOD also have staff there. British staff from the MOD and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) work alongside US personnel. They are involved in both the operations and the management of the base.
In November 2017, the British Government reported that 1,205 people worked at the station. This included 33 US military staff, 344 US contractors, and 250 US civilians. There were also 7 UK military staff (5 Royal Navy and 2 RAF), 85 UK contractors, and 486 UK civilians (including those from GCHQ).
Security at the Base
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) provides security for the site. A special unit of armed MDP officers is based at Menwith Hill. They can be sent quickly to support other MDP operations in the region.
Since April 1, 2006, RAF Menwith Hill has been a "protected site." This means it is a specific criminal offense for someone to trespass onto the station without permission.
The ECHELON System
In 1988, a journalist named Duncan Campbell wrote about the ECHELON surveillance program. This program was an extension of the UKUSA Agreement, which is about global signals intelligence. He explained how this eavesdropping worked. Later, the European Parliament looked into the ECHELON system.
In 2000, the European Union's committee on ECHELON stated that a global system for intercepting private and business communications was likely operating. This system worked through cooperation between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The committee was worried that listening to private communications might go against the right to privacy. They also worried that listening to business communications could be used for unfair competition. The first large satellite dishes at Menwith Hill were installed in the early 1970s.
In 1996, author Nicky Hager wrote a book called Secret Power. It described ECHELON in detail. He explained it as a worldwide electronic surveillance system used by the intelligence alliance of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
In 1999, the BBC reported that the Australian Government confirmed the existence of ECHELON. They called it a powerful "global spying network" that could listen to "every single phone call, fax or e-mail, anywhere on the planet." The BBC confirmed that Menwith Hill was "linked directly to the headquarters of the US National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade in Maryland."
Protests and Demonstrations
Between 1984 and 1995, several peace camps were set up near the station. Many other protests have also taken place. These protests were mainly about nuclear weapons and missile defense. Similar protests happened at other US military sites in the UK.
People who disagreed with the Strategic Defense Initiative (a missile defense plan) sometimes broke into the base. In 2007, some Members of Parliament asked for a full discussion about missile defense and Menwith Hill. Protests continued into 2006.
One local activist, Lindis Percy, was often taken to court for her protests. In April 2012, activists from the Occupy Movement held a four-day camp at Menwith Hill. They hoped to start a discussion about whether the activities at the base were acceptable to the British public.
