Campaigners have called for RAF Menwith Hill to be closed following a demonstration outside the North Yorkshire intelligence base on Saturday (24 October).
The protest was organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Yorkshire CND and the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign.
Demonstrators gathered at the base to oppose its role in US intelligence gathering, missile-warning systems and military operations overseas.
According to CND, protesters marched around the perimeter to the main gates despite heavy rain and wind. They also used inflatable golf balls to represent the large radomes at the site, which house equipment used for satellite communications and other intelligence-related functions.
Concerns over military operations
RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, is a strategically significant facility within the US defence communications network. Its functions include intelligence gathering and missile warning.
In a written parliamentary answer in July 2021, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that three radomes at the base form part of the US Space-Based Infrared System and are operational components of its missile-warning facilities.
CND argues that the base’s role in US military and intelligence operations risks involving the UK in conflicts overseas. The organisation has raised particular concerns about possible links to US operations involving Iran and intelligence sharing connected to Israeli military operations in Gaza.
However, the specific claims that intelligence from Menwith Hill has supported recent US operations against Iran or helped select Israeli targets in Gaza have not been independently established in the material available for this report.
The campaigners also argue that the base’s role in missile warning and defence contributes to nuclear tensions. CND says the facility is connected to the US missile-defence programme, which President Donald Trump has promoted under the name Golden Dome.
Although Menwith Hill’s missile-warning role is documented, the precise extent of its involvement in the Golden Dome programme and the campaigners’ claims about its implications for nuclear strategy have not been independently verified.
Calls for the base to close
Sophie Bolt, general secretary of CND, said the protest came at a critical time because of the risk of nuclear weapons being used in conflict.
Sophie Bolt, general secretary of CND, said:
This protest comes at an absolutely critical time. The threats of nuclear weapons being used in war has never been higher. The use of RAF Menwith Hill to help the Trump administration achieve nuclear pre-eminence is a very dangerous development, which is driving a new nuclear arms race.
Ms Bolt also criticised the use of intelligence gathered at the base and called on the UK Government to close Menwith Hill and other British bases used to support US military operations.
Louise Regan, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said the Government should end intelligence sharing with the Israeli military and close the base.
Louise Regan, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said:
There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that RAF Menwith has been used to provide intelligence to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), and therefore to help target their attacks in Gaza.
Her allegation about the use of intelligence from Menwith Hill to target attacks in Gaza has not been independently verified for this report.
Dave Webb, chair of Yorkshire CND, said the campaigners wanted US bases in the UK to close.
Dave Webb, chair of Yorkshire CND, said:
The Menwith Hill spy base is one of the many US bases here in the UK that involves us in the illegal wars in Gaza, Iran and elsewhere. It is time to close US bases and send the occupying forces home.
Hazel Costello, of the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, said the protest aimed to raise awareness of the base’s activities and encourage greater public scrutiny.
Hazel Costello, Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, said:
At this time of increasing violence and instability throughout the world, it is even more important to bring the real purpose of the Menwith Hill base to the attention of as many people as possible, to encourage them to demand accountability from those operating the base and to work to close it down.
About RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Menwith Hill operates as part of the worldwide US defence communications network. Its activities are conducted with the knowledge and consent of the UK Government, according to a 2014 parliamentary statement by the Ministry of Defence.
The base’s detailed operations are not routinely made public for security reasons. This lack of transparency has contributed to longstanding questions from campaigners about its role in intelligence gathering and overseas military activity.
The demonstration was jointly organised by CND, Yorkshire CND and the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign, all of which are calling for the facility to be closed.