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-Caveat Lector-
Intelligence, N. 415, 20 January 2003, p. 15
GREAT BRITAIN - MISSILE DEFENSE ON THE AGENDA
In a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday
evening, 17 December 2002, the British Defence Secretary, Geoff
Hoon, confirmed that the US had made a formal request for the
use of RAF Fylingdales, North Yorkshire, as part of the
Pentagon's National Missile Defense (NMD) project. Although Mr.
Hoon promised a "full public and parliamentary debate" on the
issue, it is generally accepted that this is simply "window
dressing" and the British government has already decided to
allow the base to become part of the multi-billion dollar,
anti-ballistic missile system, believing that it will
"ultimately enhance the security of the UK and the [NATO]
alliance."
RAF Fylingdales, situated on a remote ridge-top near Whitby --
an old whaling port on the A171 about 25 kilometers north-west
of Scarborough -- was first opened as an early-warning
ballistic missile station in 1963, when the Soviet Union's
nuclear arsenal was regarded as a major threat to the security
of Europe and the US. In 1980, the building, which housed three
radar systems, was replaced by a large, grey three-sided
pyramid structure which has been compared to an Aztec temple.
Fylingdales is currently capable of detecting and tracking
satellite launches and orbits. An upgrade, necessary to be part
of the NMD's integrated system, will allow the base to track
IBM's launched from "rogue states" in Asia and the Middle East.
Several prominent Labour MPs, including the former defense
minister, Peter Kilfoyle, believe that the Blair administration
is now "acting as a satellite to the US in this instance rather
than an ally", while Malcolm Savidge, MP, has accused the
Cabinet of "planning to squander vast sums of tax-payers' money
on a scheme which is probably unworkable, against a very remote
threat." To add to the controversial proposal, the government
is also likely to agree to a "private request" from Washington
to allow missile defense interceptor rockets to be based in
Britain as part of the expanded second-stage of the NMD
program. Officials in Whitehall have confirmed that the
Pentagon is seeking "interceptor sites" and it would be
"reasonable to assume" that the UK is included in plans for a
"second front against missiles launched from states of concern
in the Middle East, including Iraq, Libya and Iran."
In his formal request to Mr. Hoon, the US Defence Secretary,
Donald Rumfeld, emphasized the commercial and technological
advantages to the UK if the country becomes involved in the NMD
project, including "collaboration on short-range missile
defense initiatives." This was one of the points Mr. Hoon
underlined when he raised the possibility of intercept missile
silos in the UK during the release of a "public discussion
document" in London, on 9 December 2002, on whether the "Son of
Star Wars" program would be good for Europe as well as the US.
The paper, which is available on the Ministry of Defence web
site (www.mod.uk) claims that North Korea could start testing a
missile capable of reaching the UK within weeks if it decided
to breach the moratorium on IBM tests. The Pyongyang regime is
described as an "active exporter" and the "biggest supplier of
ballistic missiles and related technology to countries of
concern." These states would "more likely" be deterred from
amassing missiles if they faced "an effective" missile defence
shield.
The MoD claims that RAF Fylingdales, even if the site becomes
part of the US eastern seaboard early-warning system, would not
be a plausible target because, "for the foreseeable future",
the unsophisticated missiles available to countries of concern
"are likely to remain essentially weapons of terror aimed at
population centres, rather than specific military targets."
Fylingdales, according to the MoD, could become a "key building
block for any future system of active missile defence
protection for the UK and Europe. With interceptors placed
somewhere in Europe such a system could protect the UK and
north-west Europe (...) The US administration has, on a number
of occasions, emphasized its keenness to involve its allies in
a cooperative development programme expanded to cover US and
European territory and beyond." The US "intends to upgrade its
missile defence capability every two years using the latest
technology", the MoD discussion document states, adding that
British manufacturers -- and, by inference, European companies
whose governments decide to climb aboard the NMD band-wagon --
would profit from projects which would create "highly-skilled"
employment opportunities.
Indeed, 17 December 2002, on both sides of the Atlantic,
appears to have marked a more positive, pro-active phase, and
brought a new sense of urgency to the NMD project, with US
President George W. Bush announcing that by 2004, ten land-
based interceptors would be deployed at Fort Greely, in Alaska,
and construction of an additional ten, to be deployed by 2005
would begin, as well as the development of sea-based missiles
to be stationed on US Aegis destroyers, plus possible laser
weapons on modified Boeing 747s, and the planning and
coordination work on the satellite and ground-based sensor
system. The UK is not the only European country invited to join
the Star Wars extravaganza. In Copenhagen, the Danish defense
ministry also received a formal request from the Pentagon
seeking permission to upgrade the early-warning radar station
at Thule, in Greenland.
Three of the eight NMD tests so far conducted by the USAF have
failed, including the latest, at Fort Greely, in mid-December,
when the interceptor missile and booster rocket failed to
separate. Nonetheless, the upgraded security and surveillance
system at Fylingdales appears to be working well, as local
residents and visitors to the windswept moors have discovered
to their inconvenience. Since late last year, powerful radar
pulses from the base are interfering with the electronic
systems of certain makes of "up-market" vehicles, including
BMWs, Mercedes and Jeep Cherokees. RAF Wing Commander Chris
Knapman, based at Fylingdales, believes it is up to the motor
manufacturers, not the RAF, to find a solution to the problem.
The frequencies used at Fylingdales have been allocated by the
government, "and, as far as we are concerned, the radars are
working on frequencies which are well known, and most car
manufacturers take this into account." However, an industry
spokesman complained that the government, which also controls
commercial, military and other official radio frequencies, give
car manufacturers only a narrow band to operate in "so the
radio wave we use for our key fob is severely restricted."
Intelligence, N. 415, 20 January 2003, p. 15
Duncan M. Roads
Editor, NEXUS Magazine
PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia
Tel: +61 (0)7 5442 9280; Fax: +61 (0)7 5442 9381
http://www.nexusmagazine.com
"The nature of the universe is such that ends can never justify the means.
On the contrary, the means always determine the end."
(Aldous Huxley)
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