Washington DC-based think tank GlobalSecurity.org has bought and published on its website satellite pictures of the US base on Britain’s Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean taken by Israeli company ImageSat International.
GlobalSecurity.org paid $200 for the pictures. Diego Garcia is being readied to operate US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers for use in a campaign against Iraq. The Diego Garcia base is top secret, and no US journalists have been allowed on the island for over a year.
“The Washington Post” yesterday cited several military analysts as saying that the pictures could possibly endanger national security, tipping off Iraq and other adversaries about U.S. military abilities and plans.
However, the paper’s military commentator said the US Department of Defense and CIA had not objected to the pictures’ publication. He said the US defense and intelligence services were the main beneficiaries of high-resolution commercial satellite images.
Founded in 1997 and registered in the Netherlands Antilles, ImageSat is owned by Israel Aircraft Industries (44%), El-Op Electro-Optics Industries [now part of Elbit Systems (Nasdaq: ESLT)] (12%) and Core Software Technology of California.
An expert in Washington told “Globes” that since the US gave Israel permission to take certain satellite images, the two countries have maintained a dialogue on the matter. The expert said ImageSat was warned against taking picture of Afghanistan during the US war there to avoid damaging US operations.
The expert said, “There is no such US request to Israel at this time.” He said that the US was apparently unconcerned by ImageSat’s pictures, since the picture resolution taken by the Eros photo-reconnaissance satellite was less than the resolution by two competing US companies.
ImageSat VP corporate communication Karen Gold Anisfeld told “Globes” last night that she was aware that GlobalSecurity.org had published the pictures on its website.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on December 16, 2002