Australia’s role in supporting the US-Israel war against Iran with the hosting of a string of US military bases across the country is a critical contribution to the US war machine.

Australia is doing what it has done for decades when the United States wages war in the Middle East.

Australia is providing intelligence architecture, intelligence collection, communication systems, military intelligence specialists, and the political cover that helps support the assault.

Canberra says Australia is “not involved” because it is not dropping the bombs itself. That is the usual deception. But modern war is not just the aircraft over the target.

In a globally networked world, it is the satellite feed, the launch detection, the target support, the command post, the battle management platform, the submarine signals, the refuelling base, the overflight corridor, the embedded officers inside the coalition forces.

The country that provides those things is not outside the war, but is an intricate part of it.

When the federal government  announces it is sending a “surveillance” plane “in support of collective defence” of countries in the Persian Gulf, it will by necessity be effectively integrating and cooperating with the US-Israel operation in the Gulf.

The line between ‘defensive’ and offensive’ is a blurry one at best. By defending the Gulf states from Iranian attacks, the Wedgetail will be mapping out the launch locations of the missiles and drones, to help track and intercept incoming strikes.

But the intelligence it gathers can also assist in US-Israeli attacks on the identified launch sites and associated facilities inside Iran. The E-7A Wedgetail is much more than a mere defensive aircraft and is  described by the RAAF itself as “one of the most advanced airspace battle management capabilities in the world”:

“The Wedgetail’s ability to coordinate a joint air, sea and land battle in real time significantly increases the effectiveness of the Australian Defence Force. The Wedgetail has been modified for the modern battlespace…. simultaneous tracking of airborne and maritime targets is made possible.”

“The Wedgetail’s ability to coordinate a joint air, sea and land battle in real time significantly increases the effectiveness of the Australian Defence Force. The Wedgetail has been modified for the modern battlespace…. simultaneous tracking of airborne and maritime targets is made possible.”

The sprawling US satellite base at Pine Gap in the centre of Australia just outside of Alice Springs is not a passive listening post. It is one of the US’ most sophisticated satellite surveillance hubs, a source of real battlefield intelligence, and is integrated into US nuclear warfighting.

Bringing overwhelming military surveillance technology to conflicts and wars, including the present war against Iran, is one of the main purposes for which the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG) was built by the United States in Central Australia over 50 years ago.

And it has expanded exponentially since then. Initially hosting just two satellite dishes, the base has rapidly  expanded in the past five years, and is now host to 45 satellite radomes and dishes.

An American former  NSA analyst and veteran of Pine Gap verified what experts have long deduced, when he confirmed to Declassified Australia in November 2023 that Pine Gap was collecting intelligence data not only on the conflict in Gaza but also on “surrounding areas” in the Middle East. The intelligence gathered in Australia is passed to the US who forwards much of it to Israel.

A gathering crowd of international law experts is  condemning the attack on Iran as “illegal aggression” under international law and questioning any Australian involvement. This comes in the face of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s, foreign minister Penny Wong’s, and defence minister Richard Marles’ public support for the invasion and bold denial of any use of Australian assets.

And it puts huge legal questions over Australia’s continued agreement to allow US bases to operate from Australian soil.

All roads lead to Pine Gap

Four ‘Advanced Orion’ satellites, amongst an array of spy satellites launched by the US, are controlled through Pine Gap. They give complete satellite surveillance coverage of the entire country of Iran and surrounding nations in the Middle East.

In geosynchronous orbit 36,000km above the Indian Ocean, the Orions can target a huge swathe of the........

© Pearls and Irritations