Harman, Australian Capital Territory

HMAS Harman
Harman, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory in Australia
HMAS Harman
Ship's badge of HMAS Harman
HMAS Harman Location in the Australian Capital Territory
Coordinates	35°20′48″S 149°12′4″E / 35.34667°S 149.20111°E / -35.34667; 149.20111Coordinates: 35°20′48″S 149°12′4″E / 35.34667°S 149.20111°E / -35.34667; 149.20111
Type	Naval base
Area	2.5 square kilometres (0.97 sq mi)
Site information
Owner	Department of Defence
Operator	Royal Australian Navy (1943 – 1967)  Royal Australian Navy (1967 – present)
Website	navy.gov.au/establishments/hmas-harman
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	1943 – present
Garrison information
Current commander	Commander Alison Westwood, RAN
Occupants	Naval Communications Area Master Station Australia (NAVCAMSAUS) Naval Communications Station (NAVCOMMSTA) Canberra Defence Information Systems and Communications Establishment - ACT (DISCE-ACT) Australian Army Reserve Australian Naval Cadets, TS Canberra

HMAS Harman is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base that serves as a communications and logistics facility. The main base is located in the Australian capital of Canberra, and is geographically recognised as the suburb of Harman (postcode 2600). Established in the late 1930s as the Royal Australian Navy Wireless/Transmitting Station Canberra, the facility was commissioned into the RAN as a stone frigate in 1943. In addition to its communications and logistics roles, the base hosts reserve units from both the Australian Army Reserves and Royal Australian Air Force Reserves, as well as cadet units from all three branches of the Australian Defence Force Cadets.

The base is also reported to be a major contributor to the U.S. National Security Agency's XKeyscore surveillance program.

The commander of the base is Commander Alison Westwood, RAN.

In 1924, the Imperial Defence Committee's Communications Sub-Committee examined Australian coastal radio stations, and recommended the modernisation of the stations at Darwin, Perth, Rabaul, and Townsville. A year later, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (ACNB) made a recommendation that two wireless stations be provided for the Navy in Canberra and Darwin. These would be strategic stations in addition to the coastal stations. Canberra was chosen as its distance from the coast would increase its protection from attack. Planning continued in 1935, where a new Canberra station would add to the coverage area of Rugby, and function as a fall back in the event of the destruction of submarine cables, or the Hong Kong or Singapore wireless telegraphy stations. The Australian government decided to build a receiving and a transmitting station in Canberra in 1937, with the transmitting station sited at Ginninderra Creek in Belconnen, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of the main receiving facility.