Journal tqft's Journal: Revealed: US flew spy drone missions from Australia 7
Perhaps from the "No shit Sherlock dept".
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-03/revealed-us-flew-drone-missions-from-australia/4236306
'The United States flew highly classified Global Hawk spy drone missions from the Royal Australian Air Force base at Edinburgh in South Australia from late 2001 until at least 2006.
The operations were detected by a group of Adelaide aviation historians who had a member monitoring aircraft radio frequencies 20 hours a day.
While the Australian public and the South Australian Government were left in the dark, there were no restrictions on the international media.
In February 2006, an American journalist from industry publication Aviation Week and Space Technology was given access to report on a single Global Hawk reconnaissance mission from RAAF Edinburgh to southern Japan and back again.
Mr Aid says the US and Australia share much of the highly sensitive signals intelligence gathered by assets such as Global Hawk.
"Australia is a member of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence club that also includes the US, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand," he said.
"The reality is that the Global Hawk system has proven not to be less expensive to operate than the U2," General Norton Schwartz said in January.
Tomorrow night on ABC1, Foreign Correspondent sounds the alarm on the swarms of private and government drones gathering in American skies and surely bound for the rest of the world.
Some of the drones have live streaming cameras and the ability to carry other payloads, and tens of thousands of them are expected to take to the sky.
But who's at the controls? Potentially anybody."
Will be checking if this item actually gets to air. Then iView
Australia (Score:2)
Now known as Airstrip Two.
Re: (Score:1)
Signal stations, marine base, port access. Do we get to vote in November?
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Why should you? It's not like we do.
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It's compulsory down here if you are on the electoral roll.
Given the column inches devoted to US politics, we probably do a better job as well.
Sorry but the derp from the USA over politics is strong (very strong like raw prawns left in the sun for a day or two).
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I was referring to the idea that our votes are actually meaningful. Your vote in the US election is worth almost as much as mine is as a registered voter. I was being a wiseacre but not very well.
How does compulsory voting work? If you don't vote, do you get fined or go to jail?
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Get fined unless you have a good excuse. Car brokedown or suddenly sick works.
People feel a lot better about having a say but many know it is just as pointless here. Both sides whisked thru the federal legislature recent laws about increased powers for our spy agencies (which is separate from the data retention stuff which is yet to go to parliament).
One forum I am a member of - politics can only be directly referenced in the sub-forum "They are all lying assholes"
The story from last night (Score:1)
I don't know if you will be able access the video but the transcript is there
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2012/s3582815.htm [abc.net.au]