Introduction:

RAF Menwith Hill is situated off the A59 Skipton Road, approximately nine miles west of Harrogate in North Yorkshire and occupies about one square mile of moorland.  The base is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and made available to the US Department of Defense (DoD).  As with all sites the Government make available to the United States Visiting Forces (USVF), RAF Menwith Hill is made available under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement of 1951 and additional confidential arrangements.  Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) is entitled to possession of the site and retains control over its use and its facilities, though the administration of the base is the responsibility of the US authorities.  The base comprises family housing, community facilities and high-technology installations and structures set on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, just outside the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  RAF Menwith Hill works closely with local and national authorities on all matters relating to planning, conservation and the environment.