Camp Mirage Superthread

[HollywoodHitman]

Yeah, watch the OPSEC on the location of the SUPER VISIBLE MILITARY INSTALLATION that the enemy already knows inside and out.

Over.

 

[Redeye]

Whether or not it's the worst kept secret in NATO is totally irrelevant.  It's still technically non-public information.

 

[Jarnhamar]

And while junior ranks caught with photographs identifying the location have been summarily shipped home from Camp Mirage, the general has been promoted.

:


i think this pretty much sums it up.

Only the notion that it can be kept under wraps, cherished in some Ottawa quarters, is an illusion.

Much like a little cousin to the JTF,  the hype around this base int he news and on internet forums is what keeps it in the spotlight.

Tell someone they can't do something and they will try to prove you wrong (Only 2 beers a day troops)
Tell someone something is secret and they will want to know more.

If mirage is that important to you, go fiddle around with google earth. While you at it try and find dyer hill and feel good knowing you cracked a 'national secret' 

 

[Gayson]

Aren't there laws that are supposed to prevent corporate entities like google from photographing private government entities (and even miltary) like Camp Mirage.

I've looked at Meaford with Google Earth and noticed that the area was photographed with very little detail.  Tell me that Google atleast photographed Camp Mirage with as little or less detail?

 

[Gramps]

I just looked it up with Google Earth. There was no real detail and you certainly could not see anything of much use at all. It certainly does not tell you who is there and what they are doing by any stretch of the imagination. In fact to find it you probably have to know where it is first.

 

[George Wallace]

Aren't there laws that are supposed to prevent corporate entities like google from photographing private government entities (and even miltary) like Camp Mirage.

I've looked at Meaford with Google Earth and noticed that the area was photographed with very little detail.   Tell me that Google atleast photographed Camp Mirage with as little or less detail?

Whose laws would be able to effectively enforce this?

Supposedly the Satellites can be switched off when the Pentagon deems necessary, allowing only US military use.

The resolution that the majority of civilians can access by these means are not as good as Government Agencies and the large Corporations that use these images to make a living.   The other thing is the Military will have more 'real time' access than Google will have.   Some of the images that you are getting may be quite dated, and stored in a large database.

 

[Gayson]

You make a good point there George Wallace.

Luckily the photograph of the whole area isn't very detailed.

 

[STA Gunner]

To back up George Wallace's point,

All the imagery that google is using is civilian imagery.  We in the CF do not have satellites at our beck and call and as our brothers and sisters in D Space D will tell you, the commerical satellite industry is booming.

Look at the imagery of Kabul, and you will see it is at about 2 m resolution, compared to London, Ontario at about 15 m resolution.  Someone paid a civilian agency to gather imagery of Kabul, which is being used by Google.  No one has asked for detailed imagery of London, as the images there are too poor a resolution except for land usage, such as a Landsat 7 survey.  (That is as of today, Google is constantly updating imagery).

So, looking at Mirage, it is at the 15 m resolution, Dwyer Hill on the other hand, is quite detailed.

 

[wongskc]

Supposedly the Satellites can be switched off when the Pentagon deems necessary, allowing only US military use.

This is true, however the US government has found a simpler solution:  Buy up all the imagery that exists of an area they want to restrict data on, along with the copyright.  This is easier because satellites never stop recording data, so private companies have data on practically every inch of the earth going back years.

On the other hand, once satellite imagery has made it to the public domain (i.e. after the initial purchase), it becomes open source and practically anyone with internet access can download it (having the software to actually make use of the data is an entirelly different matter).

STA Gunner:  You know a fair bit about satellite imagery... you have any background in it?

 

[Zoomie]

A large portion of Canada, including CFB Comox, Moose Jaw, Petawawa and other places I can find are at 2 m resolution.  I can my car in the driveway and my small garden shed is very clear.

That being said, the Americans are not the only nation that has satellite capability - it is rumoured that their Keyhole satellites has excellent resolution (less than 10cm) but there hasn't been any categorical proof of that claim.  With the launch of RADARSAT 2 - Canada will be in the position to have an extremely sensitive platform in space that cannot be censured by our brothers to the South.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Like you say to music and video industries when it comes to file sharing on the internet - suck it up, it's out there.
Same goes with this.

As for how detailed meaford is, its MEAFORD.
In the greater scheme of things- like mapping the EARTH, how important do you think meaford is?
Answer- not very.
Their going to put more resources into mapping ottawa.

 

[Franko]

Alrighty....I deleted one post...due to OPSEC concerns.

How about I ban the whole lot next time?  :

Watch your lanes Gents.

Locked...this topic can only go down one path.

Regards

 

[old medic]

Canadian military may pull forces from base in UAE

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101006/dubai-military-base-canada-101006/

CTV.ca News Staff
06 Oct 2010

The Canadian military is poised to pull its forces out of a secret military base near Dubai that's used as a staging ground for troops serving in Afghanistan, rather than relent to demands made by the United Arab Emirates, CTV News has learned.

The UAE threatened to close the base unless Canada gave additional landing rights to its two commercial airlines, Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways -- including for direct routes to Calgary and Vancouver.

An insider told CTV News that Canada was essentially being used as a pawn in heavy-handed blackmail. Transport Canada and Air Canada opposed the move.

The Conservative government told UAE that it would rather give up the base than give in to unacceptable demands, senior officials told CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

The Canadian military has already carried out two supply missions from an air base in Cyprus to Kandahar, making Cyprus the new transit point.

Officials have also asked Pakistan to use its air bases when Canada withdraws its forces from Afghanistan next year.

The Canadian military will not say exactly where the base -- known as Camp Mirage -- is located, although its existence is an open secret. The base even has its own Wikipedia entry.

 

[ModlrMike]

The Canadian military has already carried out two supply missions from an air base in Cyprus to Kandahar, making Cyprus the new transit point.

I guess that means they bring the "heavies" in from Cyprus and get rid of the Herc flights. Of course it could also mean Herc flights into somewhere else like Mumbai for example. MTF I guess.

 

[Swingline1984]

"The Canadian military is poised to pull its forces out of a secret military base near Dubai"

Ummmmmmmmm.......ya

 

[mover1]

The self licking ice cream cone is down to the nub. 

The only reason its a secret is because the UAE wanted it to be a secret.

 

[Swingline1984]

The self licking ice cream cone is down to the nub. 

The only reason its a secret is because the UAE wanted it to be a secret.

We really held up our end of the bargain didn't we.  Isn't the media held to task when they breach matters of national security?  They have been talking about this "secret" base for years, what are the ramifications if any?  Do they get fined?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The main point of the article was about the UAE trying to coerce us for business purposes. Let's stick with that.

The existence and status of Mirage has already been discussed at length a couple of times previous. If you'd like to discuss that aspect, do so in one of those threads. There is no need to start another on the subject here.


Milnet.ca Staff

 

[Swingline1984]

Ack.  Mea culpa.

 

[OldSolduer]

Does anyone have any insight as to what those demands are?