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Defence Communications Electronic Evaluation Testing Activity (also known as Area 58, Aerospace Data Facility East, Defense CEETA, and The Mission Ground Site)[1] is a U.S Military installation located in the in the Northeast of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Located in a large, two-story, concrete building behind a sign labeled Aerospace Data Facility East,[1] intense secrecy protects most of the installation operations. It's at Area 58 where NRO and its sister organization, NGA, manage the daily operations of the imagery network.
Area 58 (Aerospace Data Facility East)
 | |
|---|---|
| Part of National Reconnaissance Office Department of Defense | |
| Located near Fort Belvoir, Virginia, United States | |
 | |
| Type | Satellite Ground Station |
| Site information | |
| Owner | United States Army |
| Controlled by | National Reconnaissance Office |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1977 |
| In use | 1977-Present |
| Events | Y2K |
"...the DCEETA/Area 58 ground station at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia (38°44′10″N 77°9′30″W)." [2]
Area 58 has a separate entrance from the main base, accessable from Telegraph Road near its intersection with Beulah Road. The site is wooded, and screened on three sides by hills.[3] A satellite view is available showing the large building near two large radomes oriented on a north south axis.[4]
DCEETA is the primary downlink for satellite intellegence.
For the KH-11 and advanced KH-11 the primary ground station is the Mission Ground Site at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, about 20 miles south of Washington. It is a large, windowless, 2 story concrete building officially know as the Defense Communications Electronics Evaluation and Testing Activity (DCEETA), and also known as Area 58. While the Fort Belvoir was the only downlink for the KH-11 additional sites were added - apparantly in Hawaii and Europe."[5]
"You can call up the KH-11," says one person familiar with the system, "and when it comes up on its geometry to the target area, you can get a photo and have it back down here, printed out, in an hour, and have it over to the White House."[6]
The installation also receives and analyzes classified satellites' signals to support the Military Intelligence Corps. Apparantly, operations run 24/7/365, with automated vehicle access control. The guard shack is manned weekdays.
The first documented use of material downloaded at DCEETA was in 1977.
On January 21, 1977, Acting Director of the CIA, Mr. E. Henry Knoche met with and delivered reconnaissance satellite photographs to President Carter, that had been downloaded at DCEETA. It was the beginning of real-time imaging.[7]
' "Of course," Jimmy Carter said as he turned to Brzezinski, "this will also be of value in our arms control work." The KH-11 had made its White House debut, and on that hopeful note the meeting in the Map Room came to an end.'[8]
During Y2K, there were some problems downloading there:
Early on Jan. 1, NRO's Defense Communications Electronics Evaluation Testing Activity (DCEETA) at Ft. Belvoir was capable of capturing, on average, no more than 70 percent of the planned coverage by the imagery satellites. DCEETA, known within intelligence circles as Area 58, is a highly secure facility, and defense officials do not discuss operations at the complex. According to the Washington, DC-based Federation of American Scientists, however, Area 58 is responsible for the tasking and primary processing of national imagery acquired through overhead systems, like the Keyhole and Lacrosse satellites. It's at Area 58 where NRO and its sister organization, NIMA, manage the daily operations of the imagery network.[9][10]
This article elaborated on the press conference of Deputy Sec Def John Hamre;[11]. The Federation of American Scientists reference is to a deleted essay about DCEETA by Mr John E. Pike[12].
The problem wasn't with the satellite system - they were under positive control at all times," Hamre said. "The problem was on the ground in the processing station."[13]
The problems stemmed from an unstable asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch at Ft. Belvoir, VA.[14]
However, the ATM switch has a record of poor performance, and the Dec. 27 problems produced outages of 12 hours or more for Pacific Command and Central Command, according to an internal Pentagon e-mail message.[15]
In 1999, Beulah was realligned at the cost of $8 million dollars. A sign entitled Defense DCEETA was erected at the new entrance, (the old Beulah Road). In 2004, a fuel farm was built there.[16] In 2004, a 1.5 million gallon water tank was built there.[17] Currently, a Remote Delivery Facility budgeted for $17 million dollars is under construction.[18] . A parking garage is planned: "The project would increase the parking at DCEETA from 200 to 500 vehicles."[19] Maintenance Manuals have been posted online, addressed to: Facility Engineer, DCEETA, Attn: Greg Hopfer.[20] DCEETA has registered as a company on the Cotera website, using the address 8201 Beulah St. Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. [21]
In 1998, in a rare appearance in open court, DCEETA was found to have broken the procurement laws, but without prejudice barring relief, in the matter of Candle Corporation, versus the United States, and Boole & Babbage, Inc:
The procurement at issue involves MQSeries system management software. MQSeries is messaging software developed by IBM which allows business applications to integrate and communicate across desktop and mainframe systems, overcoming inconsistencies with different network protocols and all major commercial platforms. "[22]
An apparant false alarm of anthrax was sent by the DCEETA mail facility.
At 1:50 p.m. Tuesday, [date unknown], the Fort Belvoir Provost Marshal Office received notification from the Defense Communications-Electronics Evaluation and Testing Activity here of an apparent positive anthrax detection in a temporary mail handling facility within the agency’s compound." [23]
The NRO has reaffirmed the classification of Area 58:
1.3.3.e. (U)[Unclassified] The term "Area 58" or "A-58" [may be released] when limited to the context of a very general association with the NRO, intelligence activities, imagery intelligence, or satellite reconnaissance but not revealing any geographic location information."[24] [25]
But as Mr. Bamford, in The New York Times previously noted:
The irony is that the Soviet security and intelligence organization K.G.B. probably knows more about America's spy-satellite operations than all but the few most highly cleared people in the United States. The reason for this is an abominable track record in security on the part of the C.I.A. and the satellite intelligence community as a whole."[26]
For example, refer to the Russian language journal News of Cosmonautics, that discusses the satellite intelligence capability, and mentions Menwith Hill, Buckley, Pine Gap (under the conditional designation JDFPG).[27]
This is confirmed by the ITU spreadsheet showing ground stations of DCEETA and JDFPG.[28]
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