A remote intelligence base in Australia’s red desert has spent more than half a century operating behind a wall of secrecy. In the new episode of Uncovered Investigates, Kyle Fields examines Pine Gap—the joint U.S.-Australian facility near Alice Springs that may be one of the most consequential surveillance and military-intelligence hubs on Earth.

Behind its white radomes, Pine Gap’s missions extend far beyond the Cold War listening post the public was originally told it would be. The facility controls signals-intelligence satellites, supports missile-launch detection, intercepts communications, and—according to reporting and leaked documents—helps geolocate phones and feed information into U.S. military targeting systems.

This episode follows the documented questions surrounding Pine Gap’s role in drone warfare, its connection to intelligence sharing with Israel during the war in Gaza, and the profound sovereignty and accountability issues facing Australia. It also centers the Arrernte traditional owners whose sacred land hosts the facility—and the activists, researchers, and community members demanding answers.

In this episode:

* How Pine Gap began as a secret CIA operation disguised as “space research”

* The satellite systems and global signals-intelligence missions run from Central Australia

* The reported role of phone geolocation in U.S. drone targeting

* What Snowden documents and expert testimony suggest about intelligence flows to Israel

* Why critics argue Australia has little meaningful control over a base it co-hosts

* The Arrernte land claim, the human cost of secrecy, and renewed protest at the gates

Listen now to UI Presents: The Secrets of Pine Gap—Season 4, Episode 10 of Uncovered Investigates.

The most dangerous thing about Pine Gap may not be what happens inside its gates. It may be how little the public is allowed to know about it.