Amid China warnings, Australia to spend US$581 million on military bases, joint exercises with US

The spending will be used to upgrade an airstrip and improve training facilities for Australian defence personnel and US Marines in the Northern Territory, where thousands of American troops are based

It was announced days after senior government figures raised the alarm about the ‘beating drums’ of war and the possibility of Australia becoming embroiled in a military conflict over Taiwan

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Australian soldiers practice an amphibious assault landing during joint military exercises between Australia and the United States in 2017. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:12pm, 28 Apr 2021Updated: 2:13pm, 28 Apr 2021

Australia on Wednesday unveiled plans to spend A$747 million (US$581 million) upgrading its military bases and expanding joint exercises with the United States, amid warnings in the country about the risk of a confrontation with China – though analysts questioned whether the spending was entirely new or significant.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Canberra would work with allies including Washington to focus on “pursuing peace, stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific, with a world order that favours freedom”.

“Working with the United States, our allies and Indo-Pacific neighbours, we will continue to advance Australia’s interests by investing in the Australian Defence Force, particularly across northern Australia,” Morrison said in Darwin, according to the Australian Associated Press.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a press conference earlier this month. Photo: AAP/DPA

The funding, which is part of previously announced spending plans, will be used to upgrade an airstrip and improve training facilities for Australian defence personnel and US Marines in the remote Northern Territory, which hosts thousands of American troops under a deal struck in 2011 between then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former US President Barack Obama.

The announcement comes days after two senior government figures raised the alarm about the possibility of Australia becoming embroiled in a regional military conflict.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Sunday said Australia should be “realistic” about China’s ambitions and a conflict over Taiwan “should not be discounted,” although Canberra would work with its allies to ensure peace in the region. Earlier this week, Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo warned that democratic nations could “hear the beating drums” and now “watch worryingly the militarisation of issues that we had, until recent years, thought unlikely to be catalysts for war.”

Pezzullo, who made his remarks in a message to staff to mark Anzac Day, which commemorates Australians and New Zealanders killed in war, did not mention China by name.

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