Monday - January 27, 2014

Scrutiny of American military bases in Britain could be increased dramatically.

Posting this because ... I am almost certain it won’t make the news in the USA.

I suppose Brits have some rights on what goes on in their own country.  What really bothers me though is, this whole thing is the work of the left and the useful idiots who enable them.  However, if it’s an American base, aren’t we paying rent for the place?
Just some food for thought with the info for you that, this report comes from a left wing newspaper.  Sometimes they do have opinions from the right, and at least they are not the Guardian.  So I skip the really anti American diatribes from a few of the jerks who will never find anything we do the right thing, unless they approve of it.  Which translated of course means we would have to come around to their way of thinking and seeing things. They’d be happy to approve of us then.
Screw em.  It’s really more than spying on friends although yes, that does bother the heck out of our critics friend and foe alike.
But the real underlying thing that has their collective knickers in a twist, is America’s use of drones.  Especially drones being launched or even controlled from their homeland or possessions.

Peers call for proper scrutiny of American military bases in UK used for drone strikes and mass spying

By Cahal Milmo

Scrutiny of American military bases in Britain could be increased dramatically for the first time in more than 60 years under cross-party proposals provoked by evidence that the installations are being used for drone strikes and mass spying activities.

Draft proposals tabled by peers from all three major parties demand that the Government overhaul the “outdated” rules under which the Pentagon’s network of UK outposts operate following claims of British complicity in US drone missions in the Middle East and eavesdropping on European allies.

The Independent revealed last year that RAF Croughton, the US Air Force base and CIA relay station in Northamptonshire, was used to funnel back to Washington data from the network of diplomatic spy posts implicated in the monitoring of the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The same base has a secure data link to a US counter-terrorism facility in Djibouti used for drone strikes in Yemen while questions remain about the use of other US bases in Britain, in particular the National Security Agency eavesdropping facility at RAF Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire.

The revelations have fuelled concern in Parliament that British oversight of the bases, which operate under the 1951 Status of Forces Agreement, is outmoded and in urgent need of drastic revision because the legislation was drawn up long before technology such as drones or mass surveillance.

Three senior peers from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats - along with a crossbencher - have tabled amendments to defence legislation currently going through the House of Lords demanding that the Government considers the introduction of measures including a new “scrutiny group” for each US base to ensure all activities carried out comply with British law.

Under current arrangements, each US base is nominally under the command of a British officer but critics say meaningful oversight is impossible.

There’s a lot more to read on this topic and some of you will find it of interest.

LINK TO SOURCE FOR MORE

Posted by peiper     on 01/27/2014 at 05:00 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Military • UK • USA •  
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