Spy Station unleashes new cold war

Australia this week marked the 40th anniversary of a joint Australia-U.S. surveillance station in the Central Australian outback by indicating that the base could play a role in American ballistic missile defense plans. In rare public comments on the Pine Gap base, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson told lawmakers in Canberra that intelligence obtained there is critical for both countries, providing information relating to terrorism, proliferation and military and weapons developments. Critics argue that instead of making the world safer, BMD systems could unleash a new nuclear arms race, if nuclear powers like China or Russia respond by increasing the size of their arsenals so they will be capable of penetrating the shields