US Marines arrive in Darwin for joint military exercises with Australia and China
The Australia-US-China military exercises are also aimed at Australia charting a course between its most important security ally the US and its biggest trading partner China
US Marines began arriving in Australia’s tropical north on Tuesday for a six-month deployment during which they will conduct exercises with Australian and visiting Chinese forces.
The 25-year annual deployment programme started by former US president Barack Obama in 2011 is part of the US “pivot” to Asia at a time of increased assertiveness by China.
“I think that the commitment that we’ve taken to put a task force here with a conversation to get larger over the years says that we do think this is an important region,” said Marines’ commander Lieutenant Colonel Brian Middleton after the first troops arrived in Darwin in the Northern Territory. “Being close to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Indo Pacific position has always been important.”
Middleton said the marines would conduct an “important exercise alongside our Chinese partners” and Australia.
The strength of this year’s deployment at 1,250 troops lags well behind the initial plan for the deployment to reach 2,500 Marines this year, but it will see the largest US aircraft contingent to Australia in peacetime history.
Middleton said the 13 aircraft, including tilt-rotor Ospreys, Super Cobra helicopters and Huey helicopters, triple the four aircraft in past deployments, was a “tangible kind of sign of our commitment to the region and to this partnership”.