Jan 24, 2014
News that this tracking and surveillance technology--used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan--will be deployed domestically is now sparking public outcry.
"Yet another stark example of the expanding 'War at Home,' this surveillance blimp is both a handy ad for Raytheon's spy technology and also a lifeline for the long worn-out narrative of the Global War On Terror," said Ali Issa, organizer for the War Resisters League, in an interview with Common Dreams.
Known as aerostats, these aircraft will hover 10,000 feet in the air above Army-owned land 45 miles northeast of Washington, D.C..
The blimp, though tethered to the ground, will have the ability to see airborne objects from up to 340 miles away and surface vehicles up to 140 miles away, giving them a view "as far south as Richmond, as far west as Cumberland, Md., and as far north as Staten Island," reports the Washington Post.
Army officials say these objects will be in place for a three-year trial period of the 'Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System' (JLENS), with the stated goal of detecting cruise missiles or enemy aircraft. Yet, Army officials have refused to rule out equipping the aerostats with powerful cameras and infrared sensors, according to the Post.
Similar aerostats, often equipped with highly sophisticated cameras, have been used as tools of surveillance in Iraq, Afghanistan and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Manufacturers tout the unmatched spying capabilities of these aircraft.
"When you need persistent surveillance in a particular area, there is no better solution than the aerostat because it's there all the time," said Ron Bendlin, the president of TCOM -- the company hired by Raytheon to build the aerostats, in an interview with the Post.
Civil liberties groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation promptly denounced the blatant use of military-grade surveillance technology at a time of public outrage at NSA spying.
"That's the kind of massive persistent surveillance we've always been concerned about with drones," said Jay Stanley, a privacy expert for the ACLU, in an interview with the Post. "It's part of this trend we've seen since 9/11, which is the turning inward of all of these surveillance technologies."
The JLENS revelation follows the announcement last month that commercial drones will be tested at public institutions across the United States as part of an FAA plan to integrate them into U.S. airspace.
Hundreds of public institutions, many of them law and border enforcement, already fly drones in the U.S. for purposes including aerial surveillance.
"Like many of the Pentagon's toys that are now creeping into everyday life in the U.S. though, [the surveillance blimps] also provide chances to relate and connect people in Baltimore to folks in Kandahar so that we can roll back militarism where ever it appears," said Issa.
_____________________
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
News that this tracking and surveillance technology--used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan--will be deployed domestically is now sparking public outcry.
"Yet another stark example of the expanding 'War at Home,' this surveillance blimp is both a handy ad for Raytheon's spy technology and also a lifeline for the long worn-out narrative of the Global War On Terror," said Ali Issa, organizer for the War Resisters League, in an interview with Common Dreams.
Known as aerostats, these aircraft will hover 10,000 feet in the air above Army-owned land 45 miles northeast of Washington, D.C..
The blimp, though tethered to the ground, will have the ability to see airborne objects from up to 340 miles away and surface vehicles up to 140 miles away, giving them a view "as far south as Richmond, as far west as Cumberland, Md., and as far north as Staten Island," reports the Washington Post.
Army officials say these objects will be in place for a three-year trial period of the 'Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System' (JLENS), with the stated goal of detecting cruise missiles or enemy aircraft. Yet, Army officials have refused to rule out equipping the aerostats with powerful cameras and infrared sensors, according to the Post.
Similar aerostats, often equipped with highly sophisticated cameras, have been used as tools of surveillance in Iraq, Afghanistan and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Manufacturers tout the unmatched spying capabilities of these aircraft.
"When you need persistent surveillance in a particular area, there is no better solution than the aerostat because it's there all the time," said Ron Bendlin, the president of TCOM -- the company hired by Raytheon to build the aerostats, in an interview with the Post.
Civil liberties groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation promptly denounced the blatant use of military-grade surveillance technology at a time of public outrage at NSA spying.
"That's the kind of massive persistent surveillance we've always been concerned about with drones," said Jay Stanley, a privacy expert for the ACLU, in an interview with the Post. "It's part of this trend we've seen since 9/11, which is the turning inward of all of these surveillance technologies."
The JLENS revelation follows the announcement last month that commercial drones will be tested at public institutions across the United States as part of an FAA plan to integrate them into U.S. airspace.
Hundreds of public institutions, many of them law and border enforcement, already fly drones in the U.S. for purposes including aerial surveillance.
"Like many of the Pentagon's toys that are now creeping into everyday life in the U.S. though, [the surveillance blimps] also provide chances to relate and connect people in Baltimore to folks in Kandahar so that we can roll back militarism where ever it appears," said Issa.
_____________________
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
News that this tracking and surveillance technology--used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan--will be deployed domestically is now sparking public outcry.
"Yet another stark example of the expanding 'War at Home,' this surveillance blimp is both a handy ad for Raytheon's spy technology and also a lifeline for the long worn-out narrative of the Global War On Terror," said Ali Issa, organizer for the War Resisters League, in an interview with Common Dreams.
Known as aerostats, these aircraft will hover 10,000 feet in the air above Army-owned land 45 miles northeast of Washington, D.C..
The blimp, though tethered to the ground, will have the ability to see airborne objects from up to 340 miles away and surface vehicles up to 140 miles away, giving them a view "as far south as Richmond, as far west as Cumberland, Md., and as far north as Staten Island," reports the Washington Post.
Army officials say these objects will be in place for a three-year trial period of the 'Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System' (JLENS), with the stated goal of detecting cruise missiles or enemy aircraft. Yet, Army officials have refused to rule out equipping the aerostats with powerful cameras and infrared sensors, according to the Post.
Similar aerostats, often equipped with highly sophisticated cameras, have been used as tools of surveillance in Iraq, Afghanistan and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Manufacturers tout the unmatched spying capabilities of these aircraft.
"When you need persistent surveillance in a particular area, there is no better solution than the aerostat because it's there all the time," said Ron Bendlin, the president of TCOM -- the company hired by Raytheon to build the aerostats, in an interview with the Post.
Civil liberties groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation promptly denounced the blatant use of military-grade surveillance technology at a time of public outrage at NSA spying.
"That's the kind of massive persistent surveillance we've always been concerned about with drones," said Jay Stanley, a privacy expert for the ACLU, in an interview with the Post. "It's part of this trend we've seen since 9/11, which is the turning inward of all of these surveillance technologies."
The JLENS revelation follows the announcement last month that commercial drones will be tested at public institutions across the United States as part of an FAA plan to integrate them into U.S. airspace.
Hundreds of public institutions, many of them law and border enforcement, already fly drones in the U.S. for purposes including aerial surveillance.
"Like many of the Pentagon's toys that are now creeping into everyday life in the U.S. though, [the surveillance blimps] also provide chances to relate and connect people in Baltimore to folks in Kandahar so that we can roll back militarism where ever it appears," said Issa.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.