Nexus - 0227 - New Times Magazine-pages

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UKUSA is a tiered agreement. The National Security Agency is called the "First Party". The Australian Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the Canadian Communications Security Establishment and the New Zealand Government's Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) are "Second Parties". Remaining countries are designated "Third Parties". every telephone call and message entering, leaving or transiting the country. In Australia, this is done through the US base, Pine Gap, and the new installation at Geraldton in Western Australia (Toohey, 1992). The agency can programme its high-speed computers and print- ers to kick out every telegram or telex containing the word "oil" or the word "democrat", while voice analysts, scan guides in hand, listen attentively to every phone call between Washington and London, recording for later dissemination those containing the tar- geted subjects. NSA—THE BIGGEST BROTHER OF ALL London, recording for later dissemination those containing the tar- As the "First Party” to the UKUSA Agreement, the National —_ geted subjects. Security Agency undertakes numerous clandestine operations. It is arguably the most significant intelligence-gathering agency. As © AUSTRALIAN DENIALS the NSA was established without any official legislation, there is "Australia is investing heavily in modern high technology intel- nothing, legally, that it cannot do. It is often referred to as No _ ligence collection and surveillance systems." Such Agency! — The Hon. Kim Beazley, Australian Minister for Defence, The National Security Agency can only be described as the 1987. biggest brother of all. Secretly launched by the Truman The Australian Government consistently denies involvement Administration on 4th November 1954, the NSA today controls with the UKUSA Agreement and the presence of the NSA in over 2,000 electronic intercept Australia. Australian governments, both stations, has a budget of over Labor and Liberal, have pursued a “nei- employs more bat 13000 per (ae SS ioc anc 1977 Maloli Prsee sonnel around the world—mak- Agreement, the National Secur Hy Jf declined to "provide information that ing ern Inger han the CIA | Agency undertakes numerous it oui deny seculton: a The NSA operates more than clandestine operations. §} UKUSA Agreement, and whether the three billion dollars’ worth of As the NSA was established NSA operates electronic intercept stations decoding machines, scramblers, in Australia (Commonwealth computers and other forms of without any official legislation, i Parliamentary Debates, 1977). electronic equipment. The first there is nothing, legally, that it { In November 1986, Senator Gareth Cray computer was built specifi- @] Evans refused to "provide information cally to meet the needs of the cannot do. §j which might confirm or deny speculation NSA. on the intelligence and security matters There are 10 major depart- raised" by a question put by Senator ments within the NSA, including Vallentine regarding the UKUSA four operational divisions, five staff and support sections, and one Agreement (Hansard, 1986). training unit. Its basic functions are signals intelligence (SIG- Despite the denials, seven different Australian Government INT), electronics intelligence (ELINT), radar intelligence agencies are involved in UKUSA activities. They are the Office (RADINT), communications security (COMSEC) and human _ of National Assessments, ASIO, the Defence Signals Directorate, intelligence (HUMINT) (Good, 1987, p. 412). Services Intelligence Directorates, Joint Intelligence Organisation, The inner sanctum of the NSA is the Central Security Service and ASIS (Ball, 1990, p. 31). (CSS), created by President Nixon in 1972. According to James Bamford (1982, p. 155), the CSS is the eyes and ears of America's BASE STATIONS cryptological empire. "They are soldiers, sailors, Marines and air- The UKUSA relationship is more than an agreement to coordi- men who sit in long rows with earphones, turning dials, activating nate intelligence activities and share the intelligence collected. tape recorders and tapping out messages on six-ply multicolored The SIGINT aspect of the relationship is cemented by the pres- carbon paper." ence of US facilities on British, Canadian and Australian territory; Through its electronic expertise, the NSA is heavily involved by joint operations within and outside UKUSA territory, and, in with the UFO phenomena—whether of extraterrestrial origin or the case of Australia, UK and US staff at all Defence Signals not. Cooper (1991, p. 200) maintains that the primary purpose of _ Directorate facilities. the NSA is to "decipher alien communications, language, and establish a dialogue with extraterrestrials. The second purpose is THE AUSTRALIAN BASES to monitor all communications and emissions from any and all Much has already been written in NEXUS about the develop- electronic devices worldwide for the purpose of gathering intelli- ment of ‘new warfare ideas’. According to Collyns (1976, p. 81), gence, both human and alien, and to contain the secret of the alien — Soviet scientists initiated discussions and proposals at the United presence." Nations to ban the development of the new warfare ideas such as In 1983, the NSA embarked on a project, code-named Platform, creating holes or 'windows' in the ozone layer to bombard specific as part of its Big Brother-style surveillance network. Platform areas of the Earth with increased natural ultraviolet radiation involved a plan to establish a worldwide computer network link- — which would kill all life-forms and turn the land into barren desert. ing together 52 separate government computer systems used Other ideas discussed at this meeting were the use of infrasound throughout the world. All of this information would find its way to demolish ships by creating acoustic fields on the sea; and hurl- through the electronic superhighway back to the NSA's headquar- _ing a huge chunk of rock into the sea with a cheap atomic device ters at Fort Mead in Maryland, USA. (the resultant tidal wave could demolish the coastal fringe of a Within the USA, Australia and the UK, the NSA can plug into country). Other tidal waves could be created by detonating BASE STATIONS The UKUSA relationship is more than an agreement to coordi- nate intelligence activities and share the intelligence collected. The SIGINT aspect of the relationship is cemented by the pres- ence of US facilities on British, Canadian and Australian territory; by joint operations within and outside UKUSA territory, and, in the case of Australia, UK and US staff at all Defence Signals Directorate facilities. THE AUSTRALIAN BASES Much has already been written in NEXUS about the develop- ment of ‘new warfare ideas’. According to Collyns (1976, p. 81), Soviet scientists initiated discussions and proposals at the United Nations to ban the development of the new warfare ideas such as creating holes or 'windows' in the ozone layer to bombard specific areas of the Earth with increased natural ultraviolet radiation which would kill all life-forms and turn the land into barren desert. Other ideas discussed at this meeting were the use of infrasound to demolish ships by creating acoustic fields on the sea; and hurl- ing a huge chunk of rock into the sea with a cheap atomic device (the resultant tidal wave could demolish the coastal fringe of a country). Other tidal waves could be created by detonating 12 ¢ NEXUS AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1995