The U.S. is boosting its war-ready military footprint in Australia by lifting deployment of weapons, ammunition, personnel and vehicles alongside the pre-positioning of nuclear submarines as China works at unsettling the Asia Pacific region to its own advantage.
U.S. Marines will also now include Australia – a steadfast ally of America for over a century – in a global prepositioning program, AFP reported, citing tender documents seen by the outlet as other U.S. allies in the region also work to restructure their military alignments.
An initial stockpile in the southern state capital Melbourne will move to U.S. warehouses at Australia’s Bandiana military base in rural Victoria.
“We are seeing a growing US footprint in Australia, that is important in terms of building our own military capability, but also it’s very important for Australia’s national security,” Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters in Western Australia.
“An American logistics footprint is part of its overall force posture on the continent,” he said, per the AFP report.
The U.S. Navy is engaging a global defence contractor to employ around 110 engineers, mechanics, material and safety specialists to manage the Australian stockpile, which includes “crew-served weapons,” the documents show.
Australia does not permit foreign military bases on its soil, but about 2,000 U.S. personnel deploy to northern Australia between April and October each year as part of Marine Rotational Force Darwin (MRF-D), under a 25-year agreement which was established in 2011, as Breitbart News reported.
Australia is also considering allowing the United States to use its territory to operate long-range spy drones for sorties over the South-West Pacific and beyond.
A rotating force of U.S.-commanded nuclear submarines will arrive in Western Australia next year.
Marles concluded the “hugely significant American presence” in the Asia Pacific was a balance to China’s “very significant military build up.”
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here