he group carried out a "Citizens Weapons Inspection" of the base, to investigate connections between the base and the USA's missile defence system and the militarisation of space.

The group conducted an inspection at the entrance to the base, during which the inspectors had a meeting with the base commander, Magne Tunestved. He confirmed that the base operates in co-operation with US Space Command, the department that is responsible for USA's National Missile Defence program (NMD). Tunestved did not want to answer specific questions about the precise tasks that are carried out on the base. He also refused the inspection team entrance to the base.
In the past, Norwegian officials have inspected the base to confirm that it complies with Norwegian and international regulations, but the results of these inspections have not been made public. David Heller from England, one of the citizens' weapons inspection team, said: "We want to break the official government secrecy on this issue. People have the right to know more about Norway's part in the USA's nuclear weapons strategy, and plans to put weapons in space."

The Radar antenna HAVE STARE is located in Vardø in the north of Norway, approximately 80 km from the Russian border. The radar was developed as part of the NMD system, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and was transported from there to Vardø.
Officially the role of the antenna is to track debris in space, but according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the real purpose is to monitor Russian nuclear missile launches. HAVE STARE (or Globus II as it is also called), is one of the most powerful radar antennas in the world. It gives the USA crucial information for the NMD program. With the help of the NMD, USA will be able to make a nuclear attack against any country it wants, without risking a counter attack.

One of the weapons inspectors, Anna Sanne Görsansson from Sweden, says: "The fact that the USA is militarising space and has bases all over Europe is everyone's problem. They are making plans for new Hiroshimas."

The weapons inspectors are members of the Swedish network Ofog-for a nuclear free world, and For Mother Earth, a campaign for disarmament, ecology and human rights based in Belgium.

More information about the Vardø base:
 http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/2000/ma00/ma00postol.html