theangle.org

Pine Gap Warning Sign. Credit: Schutz

By Rich Bowden:

The United States’ ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey Bleich, has told reporters of a proposed increase of staff at the Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility near Alice Springs.

Stating that both his country and the Australian Government are investing heavily in the upgrade of the joint defence facility, Mr Bleich said the proposed increase in U.S. service personnel in the coming years was a sign of increased military co-operation between the countries.

Speaking after his first visit to Pine Gap as ambassador, he praised the relationship between the two countries.

“It’s a wonderful relationship and all I see is it continuing to grow and move forward,” the ABC reported the ambassador as saying. “We have an agreement which goes in perpetuity unless one side or the other wants to end it and I don’t see any sign of either nation wanting to end it.”

“It’s been very productive and a wonderful example of what the United States and Australia can do when we put our minds to it,” he continued.

Mr Bleich says the base upgrades include changes in the way it would derive its power.

“There is going to be improvements in the kind of fuel which is used, moving off of diesel and into natural gas and they’ve also done a number of refinements within the facility in order to make it more environmentally-friendly”

“In fact it’s recently met the Australian environmental certification standards.”

Pine Gap is a joint U.S./Australian satellite tracking facility located 18 kms southwest of Alice Springs. Though information on the exact role of the secret facility is classified, defence expert Prof Des Ball has speculated the estimated eighteen antennas at the facility intercept a number of communications and play an important role in the monitoring of military communications.