RAF Menwith Hill

 military, RAF - Royal Air Force

US Signals Intelligence Facility
RAF Menwith Hill is "commanded" by a Royal Air Force Officer, supported by an RAF element, whilst the staff and services are principally provided by the United States Air Force, 421st Air Base Group. 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. All potentially useful intelligence data collected is fed 'live' to NSA HQ in Fort Meade, MD.

Menwith Hill is the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. It is run by the US National Security Agency (NSA), which monitors the world's communication for US intelligence. Menwith Hill employs 1,200 US civilians and servicemen to work around the clock inside "hardened" buildings intercepting and analysing communications mainly from Europe, Russia and the Middle East.

Until a few years ago, the existence of the NSA was a secret and its charter and any mention of its duties are still classified. But, today it has a website in which it describes itself as being responsible for the signals intelligence and communications security activities of the US government.

All telecommunications traffic to and from Europe and passing through Britain is intercepted at the base, including private telephone calls, faxes, emails and other communications. Much of the information is collected, processed and relayed back to the United States automatically. A great deal of this information comes from spy satellites and the base has a number of large white golfballs or "radomes" containing satellite receiving dishes.

The importance of MHS to US intelligence activities has recently been emphasised by the closure of other UK stations run by NSA, and by its new designation as a Regional Sigint Operations Centre (RSOC) which is responsible for running remote, automated intelligence-gathering sites.

for 'official' RAF position on the site see :
www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/rafmenwithhillmission.cfm

for Yorkshire CND position on the site see :
www.yorkshirecnd.org.uk/archived_site/web/mh/index.htm

www.euronet.nl/~rembert/echelon/mwh.htm
cryptome.quintessenz.at/mirror/nsa-f83.htm
www.nsa.gov/about/index.shtml
www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/cryptologic_spectrum/civ...