A news batch of documents leaked by Edward Snowden has revealed a US facility in Australia for covertly monitoring communications and supporting drone missions. The Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is located outside Alice Springs, it hosts a strategic ground station of the US spy satellites. The base is used for monitor communication across several continents and to obtain a detailed geolocation of the targets for special forces and drone strikes. The satellites are able to spy on any data sent from or to mobile phones, radios, and satellite uplinks. The official cover story is to support the national security of both the U.S. and Australia”]
Source: https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/62202/intelligence/pine-gap-nsa-base.html