{"id":77921,"date":"2023-02-17T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T19:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=77921"},"modified":"2023-06-09T17:15:38","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T07:15:38","slug":"realising-the-benefits-of-washingtons-renewed-interest-in-northern-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/realising-the-benefits-of-washingtons-renewed-interest-in-northern-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Realising the benefits of Washington\u2019s renewed interest in northern Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

For the third time in less than a century, the US government has rapidly awakened to Australia\u2019s strategic importance. On this occasion, it\u2019s focused on the significance of Australia\u2019s northern strategic geography<\/a>. While on previous occasions Australia traded sovereignty for protection, this time it must play a far more assertive role. Northern Australia is critical <\/a>to preventing and deterring future conflict in the Indo-Pacific. It is also essential to ensuring Australia\u2019s economic and social prosperity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By early 1942, following Japan\u2019s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, strategists in Washington realised that Australia and its geography were vital in halting Imperial Japan\u2019s advance across Asia and the Pacific. Australia spilled blood and treasure alongside its US ally. If we are honest with ourselves, the US wrote the rules for this partnership far from Australia\u2019s shores, and we most definitely traded agency for help.<\/p>\n

During the Cold War, the opening of the Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap near Alice Springs marked a second time when Australia\u2019s strategic geography was critical to Washington. Australia, far from the front lines of the Cold War, drew comfort from its American ally\u2019s presence and the commitment it symbolised. However, the US once again wrote the rules for this relationship inside the Washington beltway.<\/p>\n

Now, for the third time in Australia\u2019s modern history, our strategic geography is once more vital to the US.<\/p>\n

In December 2012, 200 US marines deployed to northern Australia during the dry season to form the first Marine Rotational Force\u2014Darwin<\/a>. For many reasons, including deference to Australia\u2019s sovereignty, it took seven years for this commitment to mature. Finally, in 2019, the program reached its full potential of a 2,500-strong marine air\u2013ground taskforce.<\/p>\n

Of course, there have been other US deployments and exercises in Australia. Australia\u2019s bases play host to regular US air force and navy deployments. Pitch Black<\/a> and Talisman Sabre<\/a> are large-scale joint exercises that take place every two years in northern Australia. Nary a US serviceperson fails to marvel at the training opportunities Australia provides.<\/p>\n

In areas where northern Australia\u2019s defence infrastructure has yet to become fit for purpose, the US Department of Defense has more recently sought to invest. Bulk fuel storage<\/a> in Darwin and the enhancement of Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal near Katherine are excellent examples. These kinds of investments have tangible economic benefits for northern Australia.<\/p>\n

At the strategic level, the AUKUS<\/a> pact offers two lines of effort: advanced submarines and advanced capabilities. The first of these puts Australia squarely in its historical position as the dependent ally. In contrast, the second stream offers the potential for Australia to be a full partner.<\/p>\n

Of course, some see the US Force Posture Initiatives<\/a>\u00a0and AUKUS as risks to Australia\u2019s sovereignty. That is nonsense. Both offer Australia the ability to maintain and exercise its sovereignty while enhancing its defence posture. Still, the government must be willing to bargain hard and reinforce what it brings to the bilateral relationship, especially regarding strategic geography and its contribution to integrated deterrence. It must also insist that there will be no free rides.<\/p>\n

Washington\u2019s commitment to increased and demonstrated interoperability between US and Australian forces will contribute to strategic deterrence. But during this new period of strategic uncertainty, Canberra will need to work hard to focus Australia\u2019s engagement with the US on maintaining our sovereignty and bringing immediate and tangible benefits to Australia. One area that offers such potential is integrated combined logistics.<\/p>\n

If the war in Ukraine has shown us anything, it\u2019s that logistics still matter<\/a>. This lesson is familiar to the US. Since 1981, the US Marine Corps\u2019 prepositioning program<\/a> has been a critical enabler for the availability of a rapid-deployment marine air\u2013ground taskforce globally. Over the same period, the Marine Corps\u2019 prepositioning program in Norway has stored and maintained equipment and logistics supplies for a marine expeditionary brigade.<\/p>\n

The US Army has a similar initiative that\u2019s designed to reduce deployment response times. Its prepositioned stock program<\/a> is described as \u2018a cornerstone of the Army\u2019s ability to rapidly project power and send a clear signal of US commitment\u2019. Across the globe, sets of equipment, such as all the tanks and wheeled vehicles needed for an armoured brigade combat team, are strategically prepositioned in climate-controlled facilities. This program allows soldiers to fly to a theatre that has all the equipment they need already in place. These stocks\u2014identified as APS-1 (United States), APS-2 (Europe), APS-3 (Afloat), APS-4 (Northeast Asia) and APS-5 (Southwest Asia)\u2014are available to support all combatant commanders\u2019 missions, not only in contingencies but also for major exercises and humanitarian missions.<\/p>\n

Given the US\u2019s focus on the Indo-Pacific, its continued interest in northern Australia, and its combined logistics, sustainment and maintenance needs, it is time the Pentagon considered creating prepositioned stocks in northern Australia. Such a program would make maximum use of Australia\u2019s strategic geography, and would no doubt focus on the regional areas around Darwin and Townsville. An investment would provide construction projects and ongoing employment in northern Australia. It would also signal a further formal US commitment to not just visiting but being part of northern Australia. And it would offer the opportunity for collaboration between the US and Australian defence organisations on logistics, sustainment and infrastructure. Long-term commitments like this can allow Australian industry to make long-term investments and enable communities to grow while achieving strategic advantages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the third time in less than a century, the US government has rapidly awakened to Australia\u2019s strategic importance. On this occasion, it\u2019s focused on the significance of Australia\u2019s northern strategic geography. While on previous …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":77922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1006,458,1005,2397],"class_list":["post-77921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-darwin","tag-logistics","tag-northern-australia","tag-us-alliances","dinkus-north-of-26-south"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRealising the benefits of Washington\u2019s renewed interest in northern Australia | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/realising-the-benefits-of-washingtons-renewed-interest-in-northern-australia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Realising the benefits of Washington\u2019s renewed interest in northern Australia | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the third time in less than a century, the US government has rapidly awakened to Australia\u2019s strategic importance. 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