[Australia]: Operation Listen New Caledonia

[Owen]

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OPERATION LISTEN NEW CALEDONIA​

CLASSIFIED AND TOP SECRET​

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Objective:	Intercept and monitor communications originating from and to New Caledonia as well as internally within New Caledonia.
Date:	3 February 2005 - Present
Location:	New Caledonia, Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, Shoal Bay Receiving Station, Australian Cyber Security Centre
Status:	Ongoing

BELLIGERENTS​

Australia Australian Signals Directorate Australian Secret Intelligence Service

Kanak Independence Movement

COMMANDERS AND LEADERS​

Julia Gillard (Prime Minister) John Faulkner (Minister for Defence) Kevin Rudd (Minister for Foreign Affairs) Rachel Noble (Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate) David Irvine (Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service)

Éloi Declerc

STRENGTH​

Australian Signals Directorate: Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (500x Signals Intelligence Analysts) Shoal Bay Receiving Station (150x Signals Intelligence Analysts) Australian Cyber Security Centre (300x Signals Intelligence Analysts) Australian Secret Intelligence Service: 25x ASIS agents analysing intelligence gathered

N/A

CASUALTIES AND LOSSES​

None

None

 

[Owen]

SECRET


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In the heart of Australia, Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap near Alice Springs was at the forefront of Australia's signals intelligence network (SIGINT). It would be monitoring communications day in and day out from key targets inside New Caledonia, such as those associated with the KIM. Pine Gap, whilst highly secretive, would be described as having the ability to collect:

• telemetry from advanced weapons development, such as ballistic missiles, used for arms control verification;
• signals from anti-missile and anti-aircraft radars;
• transmissions intended for communications satellites; and
• microwave emissions, such as long-distance telephone calls.

The facilities at the base would consist of a massive computer complex with 38 radomes protecting radio dishes. The Government had decided to focus its attention on New Caledonia given the recent collaboration between Australia and Poland to gather intelligence from the island. Phone calls and other electronic messaging systems would be intercepted and disseminated. This was also done from a smaller base near Darwin, the Shoal Bay Receiving Station, which was positioned to intercept communications from Indonesia, but given the lack of activity from Indonesia, it's radomes would be repositioned to point in the direction of New Caledonia.

Meanwhile, the Australian Cyber Security Centre which was located in Canberra and operated subordinate of the Australian Signals Directorate would engage in offensive cyber operations against the KIM, attempting to intercept emails and other uses of the internet or cyberspace that were occurring from those individuals.

ManBear Jay