US Plans new base on Aussie soil.

Peter Garret, the Australian Federal Environment Minister has announced his support for a new US military base on Aussie soil.

This is an interesting turning point for the former singer, as during the 1980s, he pushed for the closure of the secretive American facility at Pine Gap – located in the centre of the country.

The ‘purpose’ of this new venture between the two countries is supposedly to share weather information.

What I am curious about is why can’t the US use the Bureau of Meteorology to attain the statistics, why do they need (yet) another base on our soil?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-American, I have served my country and with the Seppos, but this peaked my curiosity – another US facility to be put on Australian soil tasked with collecting weather information, when we already have several channels that the United States and other countries could use to obtain this.

For weather data read 'HAARP MK II (mini me version) IMHO.

Aussies have no need for a US 'weather base' on their soil, unless of course the conspiracy minded are right. They need a base to watch the southern skies for 'some thing'.

What a load of Crap The Americans have enough of our aussie soil as it is,why do they need more?

This is just another cover for them to do some dark deep secret bs and i for one don't want it

I don't mind the idea of the Seppo base but they could at least come up with a cover story people might buy. Surely they could've come up with something a little more creative than a 'weather station'.

I can't think of a single reason the US would need an Australian based weather station. Any ideas?

I too disagree with this, we (Australia) are being made a target by asociation with the US and these bases. How many more do the yansk want to put here?

www.canberratimes.com.au...

The US Government is seeking to establish a new military-related satellite ground station in Australia.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett, has confirmed that the Rudd Government favours the establishment in Australia of a meteorological satellite ground station for the US Government's national polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system.

Mr Garrett has confirmed that negotiations are ''well advanced on a formal agreement under the umbrella of a pre-existing memorandum between the Bureau of Meteorology and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration''.

I wonder if this has anything to do with weather modification weapons and possibly due to the large area uninhabitated in the outback, if Australia will become a testing ground for these weapons before use elsewhere?

OK we might get a little upset about US bases here in Australia but there are a few things to consider here. Back in WW2 when we were being threatened by the Japs in a very real way it was only them who come to our aid...not the Brits.

We spend very little on our war machine so this insurance is very cheap indeed and to cooperate with a monster like the US is in our best interest as we would be squashed like ants in a modern fight.

Yep I agree Mazzroth, but it would be nice to occasionly be informed about the real objectives of some of these deals. If the ministers were honest about what might be involved with such a deal, people would probably be more accepting of our modern allies, the USA.

[edit on 19/8/2008 by Sloth]

No Disrespect Mazzroth, but the Yanks were fighting their own war against the Japs in the Pacific.

When Australia was being threatened by the advancing Japanese, we were keeping our own in Papua New Gunea and the like.

www.anzacday.org.au...

In July 1942 Australia had just two Militia brigades in Port Moresby, the administrative centre of Papua. In that month the Japanese landed troops at Buna and Gona on the Papuan north coast and in the following month they landed another force at Milne Bay.

The barrier between the Japanese forces in the north and Port Moresby on the south coast was the Owen Stanley Range - a steep, rugged series of mountains crossed only by a few foot tracks, the most important of which was the Kokoda [Track]. At the end of June, one thousand Militiamen, ‘Maroubra’ force, had been ordered to hold Kokoda and its airfield against any possible Japanese attack - but this proved an impossible task.

By the end of July the Militia were carrying out a fighting retreat and it was not until late in August that reinforcements from the 7th Division A.I.F. began to reach them. The A.I.F. men, trained for desert warfare, found the country more frightening than they found the Japanese. Confusion was created by Japanese advances through the trackless jungle on the flanks of positions the Australians were prepared to defend.

By mid-September the Australians had dug in at Imita Ridge, fifty kilometres from Port Moresby, and were ordered to hold that position. A fight to the death was expected but the Japanese, lacking sufficient supplies and fearing an American attack on their base at Buna, began to withdraw.

During November the Australians were pursuing the Japanese through the stinking mud and treacherous, slippery tracks as they went back along the Kokoda [Track]. The Japanese advance through the rain-sodden jungles of Papua had been turned into a retreat but, even though many of them were sick and starving, it was always a fighting retreat.

The Australian advance was aided by the American 32nd Division which established bases to the south of Buna while the Australians pushed on down the Kokoda [Track] and across country from Wanigela. Gona was taken on 9 December and on 2 January 1943 Buna was captured. Sanananda, held by 600 Japanese, was not taken until 12 January. The Papuan campaign ended with the surrender of Japanese survivors on 22 January.

Out of a force of about 20,000 the Japanese had lost 13,000, most of whom had fought to the death rather than surrender. The campaign cost Australia over 6000 casualties. Tropical diseases, as much as the fighting, had taken their toll on both armies.

sorry to go slightly off topic but I thought it relevant. And Mazzroth, whilst doing that, I stand "slightly" corrected. as it says, the Australian advance was "aided" by some US troops.

The Aussie did the majority of the fighting in that hell hole jungle. Aussie can take a punch or two when it comes to it. And I do beleive in the ANZUS alliance when it is in good faith and needed, but do we really need more US bases on our soil?

Why cant us Aussies run this satellite weather station?

reply to post by mazzroth


Perhaps... But Japan isn't going to do anything in modern times but hunt whales in Australian waters...

China needs our iron ore and minerals, they're not going to upset the economic harmony in the region, and they also have a policy of not nuking non-nuclear states, so we're not a target for China.

Pine Gap was set up to go against the Soviet Union - that's disappeared, there's no commies going to overthrow the government

Which then asks the question - why do we need more bases? Weather?! We have plenty of great meteorologists and our own facilities, I think Australia can predict the weather without any great deal of help.

From the Canberra Times article:

''The United States will ensure its ability to selectively deny critical environmental data to an adversary during crisis or war yet ensure the use of such data by US and Allied military forces.''

Eh? So there's a raging world war, but old Mrs. Mable will still know when to take the dog for a walk?

The Chasers sum it up pretty well:

www.youtube.com...

[edit on 19-8-2008 by mattguy404]

reply to post by mattguy404




That video is an absolute classic and how bloody true.......how things change around here huh?

The cover story about a weather station might fool most of the sheep but as said in another post they should have come up with another cover.

Why do they need to have another base on our soil when they can use Pine Gap ,if it's not big enough they have alot of land adjoining to pine gap

Most of us have seen how big a weather station is and they are not that big
www.bom.gov.au...
www.bom.gov.au...
www.bom.gov.au...

As for America being friends with Australia HA HA I don't know about you guy's but if you have a friend who is a bully you tell him to get lost

Mat you are just too fast

[edit on 19-8-2008 by duffster]

Some of those Chaser videos are absolute classics...good to see someone is still trying to keep em honest.

reply to post by mattguy404

LOL thanks for the youtube clip i have tears in my eyes

Love the chaser (even more political when they are live)! Thanks for that

As an interesting aside, most of the soldiers who fought in Kokoda and PNG were, to begin with, Choccos (reservists) who had next to no training.

It was wrongly assumed that they were ARA soldiers, but they didn't come till later on, and a much welcomed.

A lot of the regular infanteers who fought during that period said the chocs were every bit the equal with them - they would stand and fight till the death if need be.

Says something about the Aussie spirit doesn't it? Wish some of the politicians would stand up and say 'No' to the US every now and then.

THe point above about HAARP mkII is an interesting one, and makes sense when you factor in the amount of unihabitable desert and the such that we have.

IMHO, sounds like the US is trying to use us as a testing bed for new weaponry. Wonder if anything will change after the election...

[edit on 19-8-2008 by AussieNutter]

[edit on 19-8-2008 by AussieNutter]