The Guardian’s
revelations yesterday
of NSA funding of its British partner, the Government Communications Security Headquarters (GCHQ), raises questions about similar funding of our GCSB.
In 2011/12 The NSA gave the GCHQ $34.7 million.
Is the NSA subsidizing the GCSB either in money or provision of sophisticated equipment? If it is, this might explain the refusal of Prime Ministers Clark and Key to give out any information as to the cost to the taxpayer of the Waihopai spy station. When I was an MP I repeated asked,
via parliamentary questions
, about the gross annual cost of the spy station. I was refused the information on national security grounds, but it may have actually been “embarrassment” grounds, to cover up the NSA’s subsidy of the spy station.
It is also interesting that in 2009, the NSA gave the GCHQ $4 million for its work in Afghanistan. Has our GCSB been similarly subsidized for helping the NSA in Afghanistan? We know that they have had officers there working alongside American intelligence.
We shouldn’t have to wait for future revelations in the Guardian, this time about New Zealand, to find out answers to these questions.