RAF Menwith Hill on the outskirts of Harrogate is reportedly the United States’ largest overseas surveillance base.
It was built in the late 1950s during the height of the Cold War when America hoped espionage would give it the upper hand over the Soviet Union.
Over the last two decades, the base has been a key intelligence outpost for the War on Terror, with Edward Snowden’s leaks alleging it has provided intelligence that led to deadly drone strikes in the Middle East.
With Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the base is expected to be playing a role in intelligence gathering that support military operations against Vladimir Putin’s army.
Richard Norton-Taylor is a veteran journalist who wrote for the Guardian about defence and security from 1975 to 2016. He reported on RAF Menwith Hill throughout that time and continues to do so.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Mr Norton-Taylor about what role Menwith Hill might be playing in the invasion.
Richard Norton-Taylor
The current role of Menwith Hill
Mr Norton-Taylor said he believes the satellites at the base will be trying to intercept intelligence from Moscow and find out the broader movements of Russian forces.
This might be ships in the Black Sea, or troops in the area around Russia.
He said:
“They will be picking up on how it all relates to Ukraine. It’s not about what the immediate impact in next hour or two, its lower grade in a sense.”
“[Menwith Hill] won’t be involved in the attack function. It will be general eavesdropping what the Kremlin is telling its forces.”
He added:
“It can coordinate acitivirs and targets, or relay info to GCHQ in Cheltenham or National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters in the US, its a kind of information exchange hub as well as receiving info from satellites.”
Could Menwith Hill be a target?
Last month Mr Norton-Taylor wrote an article for the defence journalism website Declassified UK about $2.8bn plans to expand the United States’ military bases in the UK.
Following a recent Parliamentary question from Leeds North West Labour MP Alex Sobel, it was revealed $40M of this will be spent at Menwith Hill.
Mr Norton-Taylor’s article included comments from Lee Baker, a former NSA satellite engineer. Mr Baker said in the event of a conflict, Menwith Hill would become a “significant military target” for an enemy.
It’s an argument been made by critics of the base for a long time, but with Vladimir Putin using the rhetoric of nuclear war, are Mr Baker’s words hyperbole or something now more realistic?
Mr Norton-Taylor said:
“Its either hyperbole or stating the bloody obvious. It’s not a secret the base is a big NSA station, so much has been written about it now.
“In a sense, in a pre-nuclear attack, it certainly would be a target. It’s also nearer Russia than NSA headquarters, it’s not hidden.
“Lee Baker made it quite clear what a priority target the base is, but it’s hypothetical.”
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Prod like mad
Throughout Mr Norton-Taylor’s career as a journalist, he said it has remained difficult to glean information about what really goes on at Menwith Hill.
However, he said asking questions and persistence is still worthwhile.
“It’s worth prodding like mad, even even it seems like bashing your head against brick wall.
“It should be in their interests to say this is a useful outfit. If it is doing such a good job, why don’t they say so? But they don’t give examples. It’s ridiculous.”
The Snowden leaks revealed the base collects vast streams of information that is sent back to NSA headquarters in Maryland, USA.
But how much of this information is actually useful is unknown.
Mr Norton-Taylor said:
“With the Russians, it’s good knowing what they are doing, of course it is. I’m not against intelligence gathering, but we want to know the operations, capacity and general nature of the intelligence gathering at Menwith Hill, who is controlling it? Do the British bother to question the Americans?
“If it’s there to know what the Russians are thinking, that’s good, but we don’t know whether it’s that or wasting time on other things.”
Unanswered questions
The secretive nature of intelligence gathering means to it is difficult to answer the question of whether Menwith Hill makes us safer in the event of war.
It’s possible we will never really know.
Mr Norton-Taylor said:
“It is good we have intelligence gathering with the Americans [at Menwith Hill], it’s a question of keeping an eye on it, and knowing in general terms what it is up to.
“It’s a powerful intelligence gathering outfit, but it’s there in who’s interest? Is it for the security of British and American people, or the elite? It’s a question that should be answered.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
“The MOD can confirm that RAF Menwith Hill is part of a worldwide US Defence communications network, with the base supporting a variety of communications activity.
“For operational security reasons and as a matter of policy, neither the MOD nor the DoD publicly discuss specifics concerning military operations or classified communications regardless of unit, platform or asset. US forces maintain robust civilian and military cooperation with the United Kingdom and manage all base activities in accordance with the agreements made between the United States and Her Majesty’s government.”
