You will find the latest information and some data from our previous website on all matters concerning US bases and in particular the issue of the US Missile Defense system. We are still working on some of the pages so we ask for your patience please. Click on the SITE MAP for a listing of all the pages. There is a lot of interesting information/articles listed- we particularly would like to draw your attention to the CAAB Reports and Photo and video pages. We suggest this is checked regularly as the site is updated frequently.
Plus, Download/read a copy of the People’s Declaration of Independence From America, as read out at the 4 July Independence From America demonstration outside Menwith Hill base last year.
Drones Over the Homeland: From Border Security to National Security
TruthOut – By Tom Barry – May 19, 2013
Public attention and Congressional review, writes Barry, should focus on the increasing militarization of border control, especially in the management of the border drone program. …
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it is the “leading edge” of drone deployment in the United States. Since 2005, DHS has been purchasing Predator drones – officially called unmanned aerial systems (UAS) – to “secure the border,” yet these unarmed Predator drones are also steadily creeping into local law enforcement, international drug-interdiction and national security missions – including across the border into the heart of Mexico.
DHS will likely double its drone contingent to two dozen unmanned UAS produced by General Atomics as part of the border security component of any immigration reform. The prominence of border security in immigration reform can’t be missed. The leading reform proposal, offered by eight US senators, is the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 – which proposes to spend $6.5 billion in additional “border security” measures, mostly high-tech surveillance by drones and ground surveillance systems.
Most of the concern about the domestic deployment of drones by DHS has focused on the crossover to law-enforcement missions that threaten privacy and civil rights, and that, without more regulations in place, the program will accelerate the transition to what critics call a “surveillance society.” Also alarming is the mission creep of border drones, managed by the DHS’ Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agency with increasing interface between border drones, international drug interdiction operations and other military-directed national security missions.
The prevalence of military jargon used by US Customs and Border (CBP) officials – such as “defense in depth” and “situational awareness” – points to at least a rhetorical overlapping of border control and military strategy. Another sign of the increasing coincidence between CBP/Office of Airforce and Marine (OAM) drone program and the military is that the commanders and deputies of OAM are retired military officers. Both Major General Michael Kostelnik and his successor Major General Randolph Alles, retired from US Marines, were highly placed military commanders involved in drone development and procurement. …
US President Barack Obama plans to lay out on Thursday his administration’s evolving counterterrorism policies, from the controversial use of drones to efforts to close the notorious US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a White House official has said. …
Obama’s use of military drone aircraft to attack extremists has drawn fire and increased tensions in countries like Pakistan and been criticized by human rights activists in the United States.
The president will “discuss our broad counterterrorism policy, including our military, diplomatic, intelligence and legal efforts” at National Defense University in Washington, the official was quoted as saying in media reports.
The speech comes amid renewed scrutiny of counter-terror coordination after April’s attack at the Boston Marathon, a lengthy hunger strike among more than half of Guantanamo’s detainees, and the administration’s pursuit of leakers of classified information to an American news agency. He had planned to deliver it earlier in May, but the speech was delayed as the administration worked to respond to recent events and refined its policies, the official said.
Obama plans elaborate on “the state of the threats we face, particularly as Al Qaeda core has weakened but new dangers have emerged,” the official was quoted as saying. He will also “discuss the policy and legal framework under which we take action against terrorist threats, including the use of drones” and “will review our detention policy and efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.”
The president will also “frame the future of our efforts against Al Qaeda, its affiliates and adherents.” The official described the speech as an effort by Obama to follow through on the pledge he made in his State of the Union address in February. The president said then that he will “continue to engage Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.” …
Round-Up of Actions Held in the UK on 17-19 May to mark 100 Days of the Guantánamo Hunger Strike
London Guantánamo Campaign – May 20, 2013
The current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay entered its 100th day on Friday 17 May. This went largely unnoticed by the mainstream media in the UK. The mainstream media also often overlooks news that presents the public in a positive light and demonstrates acts of solidarity and kindness.
In response to a global call-out for action launched by the London Guantánamo Campaign to mark this date, groups and individuals from around the world got involved and organised actions in solidarity with the hunger strikers between Friday 17 May and Sunday 19 May … the United Kingdom played its part with over a dozen solidarity actions across the country over the weekend and many individuals taking part in solidarity fasting actions.
See their website http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/ for descriptions of some of the action in places around the UK including: Glastonbury, Kingston, Wrexham, Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Harrogate, Lewes, London, Oxford, Bradford, Wirksworth.
What is the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots?
It is a confederation of non-governmental organisations and pressure groups lobbying for a ban on producing and deploying fully autonomous weapon systems – where the ability of a human to both choose the precise target and intervene in the final decision to attack is removed.
How close are we to this?
Examples already exist. Some, such as the Phalanx gun system, used on the majority of US Navy ships to detect and automatically engage incoming threats, have been around for some time. Another is the Israeli Harpy “fire-and-forget” unmanned aerial vehicle, which will seek out and destroy radar installations.
What’s driving the technology’s development?
Current Western military strategy focuses more on drones than on traditional forces, but remote-controlled drones are vulnerable to hijacking. Fully autonomous systems are virtually immune to this. They also lower costs. This means manufacturers sell more, so there is a commercial imperative to develop autonomous systems and for governments to deploy them.
What are the dangers?
There are reasons to doubt whether autonomous systems can appropriately judge the need to engage, react to threats proportionately or reliably discriminate between combatants and civilians. Also, when you get complex software systems interacting, there is huge potential for unforeseen consequences. A vivid example was seen on Amazon in 2011 when pricing bots raised the cost of a book, The Making of a Fly, to over $23 million.
Germany cancels USD1.3 billion purchase of US-made drones
PRESS TV – May 15, 2013
Germany’s defense ministry has cancelled plans to purchase and modify US-made Global Hawk drones for 1 billion euros, making it the largest German military project to be completely abandoned.
The plan was abandoned on Tuesday after already putting out more than half a billion euros on the project.
German taxpayers stood for 250 million euros of the loss as aerospace company EADS paid the remaining amount.
A government official said the organization has decided to cancel the purchase after it was revealed that the required authorization to fly the drones over European airspace would be too expensive at a cost of over 600 million euros. …
An interview with Congressman Jim McDermott of the Seventh District of Washington State. Congressman McDermott has been one of the only experts and advocates in the US government on the issue of depleted uranium in Iraq. He gives a firsthand account of the military’s history of using depleted uranium munitions, the legacy it has left behind in Iraq, and why the US government refuses to do anything about it.
Visit this great Drone interactive site …
DRONES: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Click the image to visit the site
Ailing Alliance: Years of NATO warfare result in blowback
NATO’s top officer has called for more financial help from the EU in order to keep the alliance afloat. NATO has suffered cuts amounting to 45 billion dollars, which equals Germany’s entire military budget. The Western alliance’s popularity among European soldiers is also nose-diving as their number in the bloc has plummeted. NATO’s survival now depends almost entirely on US spending, which makes up almost 75% of its budget.
RT contributor Afshin Rattansi says the alliance’s global activities actually do more harm than good.
An important US base squatting in one of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales – NIDDERDALE
NSA Menwith Hill near Harrogate North Yorkshire UK
An important US base squatting in one of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales called Nidderdale
We know what it is but we would like the world to know!
These photos were taken by Tim Habard at the weekly Tuesday night demonstration (6-8 pm) at the American base NSA Menwith Hill (UK) – 28 March 2013. There has been a demonstration here every week (except four) for nearly 14 years.
Tim Habard cycles every month from a city called Leeds – about 25 miles away from Menwith Hill.
The upside down flag (used by CAAB as a symbol of protest and authorised by the High Court London in 1998) says: THE COST OF US BASES
Military Drones
There’s more about these unmanned killing machines
We have just been notified by the MOD Byelaws Review Team that the Secretary of State for Defence proposes to make byelaws at USAF Barford St John near Oxford. This American base is not far from USAF Croughton and is an annex to this base. There have never been Military Land byelaws at Barford St John. See this website for details: http://tx0.org/4xg The usual procedure applies (see below re USAF Croughton proposed byelaws) for anyone who would like to object/make comments. We strongly urge you to do so.
We are examining and researching the proposed byelaws. It is somewhat mystifying as to why this particular base has been chosen.
We will be asking questions in Parliament about this.
PLEASE NOTE:
Proposed Military Land byelaws at USAF Croughton (Bedford/Northants)
There are no byelaws at Croughton and the base is covered by section 128-131 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 so it is somewhat puzzling why byelaws are proposed when they are not used!
There is a worrying clause which extends certain powers (e.g. to remove trespassers) to non-police employed on the base. See Byelaw number 11 which gives power to remove but not arrest. There have been no arrests, charges or prosecutions relating to US bases for many years as many of them are legally flawed.
Copies of the proposed byelaws can be obtained by email: DIO-byelawsreviewteam@mod.uk
writing to: Byelaws Review Team MOD PO Box 349 Aldershot GU11 2WZ
or leaving message on 01252 361986 requesting a copy.
We are researching this, in the process of asking Parliamentary Questions and will keep you informed as to progress.
Anyone can object and we encourage you to do so. There are 50 days to do this from 13 December 2012.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to publishing delays on the new website the consultation period has exceptionally been extended (as from 10 December 2012) for a further 10 days from 50 to 60 days.
The following Military Land byelaws pertinent to US bases due to be reviewed (announced sometime ago) are:
(for accuracy please substitute USAF for RAF except for Fylingdales)
RAF Alconbury (byelaws were declared invalid in 1993)
RAF Croughton (USF) [never been any byelaws]
RAF Fairford (USF) [never been any byelaws]
RAF Feltwell (USF) [never been any byelaws]
RAF Fylingdales
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Molesworth
Scroll down for two short videos on NSA Menwith Hill UK
Part 1: Why Dr Martin Schweiger regularly attends Tuesday evening demonstration
This is the first of a new series of videos about CAAB.
Dr Martin Schweiger tells us why he comes regularly to the weekly Tuesday evening (6pm – 8pm) demonstrations – organised by the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases – outside the main entrance to ‘RAF’ Menwith Hill near Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Produced and directed by Mark Spark (Blackrock productions).
I Spy Dactylorhiza at the US Base at Menwith Hill
“I took half an hour off from this week’s Tuseday Night Demo at the Menwith Hill Spy Base (www.caab.org.uk) to look at the dactylorhiza on Willow Carr Corner. The site has a wide range of forms in colour and shape. The shapes vary from strongly tri-lobed (Dact 5) (the local name for these is Crow’s Foot Orchid.) To ones where the lobes are hard to see (Dact 3). My favourite of the colour forms is Dact 2.
“Sadly the light was rather poor for photography… but I’ll be back on Monday (July 4th… Independance FROM America demo) and if Dact 2 still looks as good I’ll mark it for seed collection.” …
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