Australia agreement expands USAF role there

CANBERRA, Australia — The U.S. military presence in Australia is expanding, with plans underway to have more U.S. aircraft rotate through the south Pacific continent.

The Marines and Navy are expected to expand their presence in the region as well, with plans to deploy about 2,500 Marines there over the next several years.

The agreement was announced Wednesday at a joint news conference with President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. It is widely viewed as a response to China's growing aggressiveness, although the president insisted that the U.S. does not fear Beijing.

China responded swiftly, warning that an expanded U.S. military footprint in Australia may not be appropriate and deserved greater scrutiny.

Obama called the plan "significant," and said it would build capacity and cooperation between the U.S. and Australia. U.S. officials were careful to emphasize that the pact was not an attempt to create a permanent American military presence in Australia.

Australian media is reporting that plans call for B-52 bombers, F/A-18 attack aircraft, C-17 transports and aerial refueling tankers to operate out of the Australian air force facility at Tindal, about 200 miles southeast of Darwin.

A Pacific Air Forces spokesperson couldn't be reached immediately Wednesday to give details on what the announcement would mean for the service.

In addition to the Air Force, Marines will reportedly be organized as a special-purpose air-ground task force and be based at Robertson Barracks in Darwin, an Australian military installation on the country's northern coast. The buildup to 2,500 personnel, expected to be complete within six years, will require an expansion of the base, but no new installations, according to reports.

Also, more U.S. ships will transit through the Sterling naval base, south of Perth in western Australia, according to Australian media.

Obama and Gillard said the increased air presence would allow the U.S. and Australia to more effectively respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises in the region.

I distinctly heard BO say he was pivoting towards Asia.

Yes, China has ambitions and guess who they have by the balls, when they take over Taiwan you will be the first to agree it is Chinese territory

I understand their territorial ambitions to regain all the territory they traditionally regard as theirs. But I also know you have territorial ambitions, in the last few years you have had to give up some of your empire and you don't like it.

Ask yourself why are the Philippines and Japan sick of having your military footprint on their soil. We have observed this and those of us who actually think over here don't want to repeat the experience and I certainly don't want the F**kedup people of our Northern Territory to experience it

"What does surprise me is that people in Darwin are surprised," he said.

"I mean, you expect this type of alarmism in the Sydney-Canberra-Melbourne triangle because people don't realise that foreign defence forces exercise in northern Australia on an extremely regular basis and have done for five decades.