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| US personnel ‘targeting killer drones from Britain’ US personnel ‘targeting killer drones from Britain’ | |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| US military personnel serving at the UK’s RAF bases are helping to identify targets for drone strikes, according to their job specifications. | US military personnel serving at the UK’s RAF bases are helping to identify targets for drone strikes, according to their job specifications. |
| Human rights groups have seized on the descriptions of the roles as proof of the UK’s part in the covert US drone programme, which some critics claim is in breach of international law. | Human rights groups have seized on the descriptions of the roles as proof of the UK’s part in the covert US drone programme, which some critics claim is in breach of international law. |
| One job advertised at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire was for an “all source analyst”, in support of US operations in Africa. The suitable candidate will “perform a variety of advanced targeting operations ... in support of employment of GPS guided weapons, weaponeering and collateral estimation, as well as utilizing the tools required for advanced targeting”. | One job advertised at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire was for an “all source analyst”, in support of US operations in Africa. The suitable candidate will “perform a variety of advanced targeting operations ... in support of employment of GPS guided weapons, weaponeering and collateral estimation, as well as utilizing the tools required for advanced targeting”. |
| The CV of a US military analyst, uploaded to a recruitment site, states that he was an MQ-9 Reaper ISR Mission Intelligence Coordinator at Molesworth. The MQ-9 is the US’s chief strike drone, capable of firing Hellfire missiles and dropping laser-guided GBU 12 Paveway II bombs. | The CV of a US military analyst, uploaded to a recruitment site, states that he was an MQ-9 Reaper ISR Mission Intelligence Coordinator at Molesworth. The MQ-9 is the US’s chief strike drone, capable of firing Hellfire missiles and dropping laser-guided GBU 12 Paveway II bombs. |
| Molesworth has also been recruiting “full motion video analysts” to study footage taken by drones and other surveillance craft in order to identify potential targets. The consultancy giant Booz Allen Hamilton is advertising for a “maritime multi-level targeting analyst” at the same base. The job involves providing “comprehensive assessments... of intelligence data” to “support the client targeting cycle in order to answer intelligence questions and provide recommendations for further action or collection”. | Molesworth has also been recruiting “full motion video analysts” to study footage taken by drones and other surveillance craft in order to identify potential targets. The consultancy giant Booz Allen Hamilton is advertising for a “maritime multi-level targeting analyst” at the same base. The job involves providing “comprehensive assessments... of intelligence data” to “support the client targeting cycle in order to answer intelligence questions and provide recommendations for further action or collection”. |
| The Ministry of Defence insists that the US does not operate drones from the UK. A senior MoD source said: “Despite the continuing conspiracy theories and associated hype in the media, the reality is that there are no US Remotely Piloted Air System support facilities operating anywhere in the UK.” | The Ministry of Defence insists that the US does not operate drones from the UK. A senior MoD source said: “Despite the continuing conspiracy theories and associated hype in the media, the reality is that there are no US Remotely Piloted Air System support facilities operating anywhere in the UK.” |
| But the human rights group Reprieve said that the job specifications indicated UK complicity in the US drone programme. “Simply to say that drones are not flown from the UK is missing the point, if it is personnel on British soil that are at the top of the so-called ‘kill chain’ and British agencies who are feeding targets into those lists,” said Jennifer Gibson, staff attorney at Reprieve. “The British government has questions to answer over its own involvement in this secret war.” | But the human rights group Reprieve said that the job specifications indicated UK complicity in the US drone programme. “Simply to say that drones are not flown from the UK is missing the point, if it is personnel on British soil that are at the top of the so-called ‘kill chain’ and British agencies who are feeding targets into those lists,” said Jennifer Gibson, staff attorney at Reprieve. “The British government has questions to answer over its own involvement in this secret war.” |
| The US air force last year reportedly floated the idea of establishing a drone operations centre at RAF Lakenheath, subject to British approval. The move would prove controversial. The US recently gave the German government an assurance that “kill” commands for drones were no longer being sent via its Ramstein base amid mounting controversy over the legality of the programme. | The US air force last year reportedly floated the idea of establishing a drone operations centre at RAF Lakenheath, subject to British approval. The move would prove controversial. The US recently gave the German government an assurance that “kill” commands for drones were no longer being sent via its Ramstein base amid mounting controversy over the legality of the programme. |
| Staff from RAF Molesworth will be absorbed into RAF Croughton, near Milton Keynes, chosen as the site for a new $300m US intelligence-gathering hub known as the Joint Analysis Centre that is expected to play an important role in future US drone operations focused on Africa and the Middle East. | Staff from RAF Molesworth will be absorbed into RAF Croughton, near Milton Keynes, chosen as the site for a new $300m US intelligence-gathering hub known as the Joint Analysis Centre that is expected to play an important role in future US drone operations focused on Africa and the Middle East. |
| Plans filed with the local council reveal that the four-year renovation project at the base, due to start next year, will see the construction of seven new buildings and the renovation of several existing ones. | Plans filed with the local council reveal that the four-year renovation project at the base, due to start next year, will see the construction of seven new buildings and the renovation of several existing ones. |
| Boasting a fitness centre, shop, accommodation block, post office, nursery and school, hundreds of personnel will live on-site, while others will be housed nearby. | Boasting a fitness centre, shop, accommodation block, post office, nursery and school, hundreds of personnel will live on-site, while others will be housed nearby. |
| Around a third of all US military communications in Europe already pass through Croughton, which has a direct cable link to GCHQ, the intelligence services’ giant listening hub at Cheltenham. A high-speed fibre-optic line connects the base to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, from where the US flies drones that target terrorist groups in Somalia. | Around a third of all US military communications in Europe already pass through Croughton, which has a direct cable link to GCHQ, the intelligence services’ giant listening hub at Cheltenham. A high-speed fibre-optic line connects the base to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, from where the US flies drones that target terrorist groups in Somalia. |
| Paul Mobbs, a close observer of Croughton, who contributes to the Free Range Activism website, said: “Croughton is becoming a hub which will receive content from across Europe and North Africa and near Middle East, and then slice and dice it for use by intelligence agencies. At the same time its communications capacity is being enhanced to tie in to other intelligence centres.” | Paul Mobbs, a close observer of Croughton, who contributes to the Free Range Activism website, said: “Croughton is becoming a hub which will receive content from across Europe and North Africa and near Middle East, and then slice and dice it for use by intelligence agencies. At the same time its communications capacity is being enhanced to tie in to other intelligence centres.” |
| Chris Cole, editor of the website Drone Wars, believes the US military’s need to process massive amounts of data, sucked up by its rapidly expanding surveillance programme, lies behind Croughton’s transformation. “You need a huge amount of bandwidth,” Cole said. “They distribute it around so it’s not a case of huge amounts all going to one place. And it’s secure – it can’t be knocked out in one place.” | Chris Cole, editor of the website Drone Wars, believes the US military’s need to process massive amounts of data, sucked up by its rapidly expanding surveillance programme, lies behind Croughton’s transformation. “You need a huge amount of bandwidth,” Cole said. “They distribute it around so it’s not a case of huge amounts all going to one place. And it’s secure – it can’t be knocked out in one place.” |
| Critics say the US drone programme is taking place on British soil without sufficient oversight. “There is no oversight, no accountability,” said Lindis Percy, co-ordinator of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Airbases. | Critics say the US drone programme is taking place on British soil without sufficient oversight. “There is no oversight, no accountability,” said Lindis Percy, co-ordinator of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Airbases. |
| “The United States Visiting Force is present in the UK at the invitation of the British government,” an MoD spokesman explained. “There are no circumstances under which UK military assets, including those bases made available to the US, could be used operationally by the US without the agreement of Her Majesty’s government.” | “The United States Visiting Force is present in the UK at the invitation of the British government,” an MoD spokesman explained. “There are no circumstances under which UK military assets, including those bases made available to the US, could be used operationally by the US without the agreement of Her Majesty’s government.” |