WikiLeaks | List of facilities 'vital to US security' leaked

A list of key facilities around the world that the United States deems ‘vital’ to its national security has been released by whistle-blower website Wikileaks as part of its massive cable documents leak to media.

6 December 2010, 12:00am

1 min read

According to the leaked cable, the US State Department in February 2009 asked all US missions abroad to list all installations whose loss could critically affect US ould critically impact the public health, economic security or national security of the United States.

While the list includes pipelines, communication and transport hubs, the list also includes a cobalt mine in Congo, an anti-snake venom factory in Australia, and an insulin plant in Denmark.

The British sites for example range from Cornwall to Scotland and include key satellite communications sites and places where trans-Atlantic cables make landfall.

A number of BAE Systems plants involved in joint weapons programmes with the Americans are also listed, along with a marine engineering firm in Edinburgh which is said to be "critical" for nuclear powered submarines.