Australia may host US military training

[2RHPZ]

Aust may host US military training

By Graeme Dobell in Singapore

The United States is close to an agreement to build a major military training centre on Australian soil.
The US would spend tens of millions of dollars to upgrade one of Australia's existing training bases in Queensland or the Northern Territory.
Defence Minister Robert Hill says Australian and US forces would use the centre for air, sea and land exercises.
After talks with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Singapore, Senator Hill told the ABC the US and Australia could sign an in-principle agreement for the centre next month.
"It's to enhance mutual capability, ensure inter-operability and to assist a critically important ally," Senator Hill said.
He says an in-principle agreement could be signed at annual ministerial talks in Washington next month.
Senator Hill says the US would not pre-position equipment at the centre and it would not be termed a US base.

[2RHPZ]

AM - US proposes military training centre in Australia

[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1126051.htm]

AM - Monday, 7 June*, 2004* 08:16:00

TONY EASTLEY: The United States is closer to an agreement to build a major military training centre on Australian soil. The US would spend tens of millions of dollars to upgrade one of Australia's existing training bases in Queensland or the Northern Territory.
The terms of the deal have been discussed by the US Defence Secretary and Australia's Defence Minister at Asia Pacific security talks in Singapore, as Graeme Dobell reports.
GRAEME DOBELL: The plan for the US to create what's called a joint combined training centre in Australia is part of the US attempt across the globe to free up forces and rethink old basing strategies.
The mantra of 'places, not bases' means many of the US soldiers now in Europe will be heading for the Middle East or Central Asia.
The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.
DONALD RUMSFELD: We have several principles. One is we want to have our forces where people want them. We have no desire to be where we're not wanted, and second we don't want to be in static defence mode. We want to be in a more agile arrangement.
GRAEME DOBELL: After talks in Singapore with Mr Rumsfeld, Australia's Defence Minister, Robert Hill, says an in principle agreement on a joint training centre could be signed in Washington next month.
Senator Hill says US military teams have looked at existing training bases in Queensland and the Northern Territory. He says the US would spend tens of millions of dollars to shape the joint centre for air, land and sea exercises.
Senator Hill says there's been no proposal for the US to preposition equipment. The Defence Minister says the training centre will not be a United States base.
ROBERT HILL: I think people realise that with new capabilities the options for power projection have vastly increased. You don't need the same level of forward deployment that you once needed, and I think the confusion in Australia has been that people have therefore assumed that the Americans would want to be basing forces in Australia, but we're not actually very conveniently located for any potential theatre.
GRAEME DOBELL: The training then would be training to do with South East Asia presumably? It would be for the Americans to train to deal with contingencies in South East Asia?
ROBERT HILL: No, it wouldn't be specifically designated to a particular region. It would be capabilities that would have a global application.
GRAEME DOBELL: And what would Australia's objective be, with this joint training facility?
ROBERT HILL: Better training facilities, more sophisticated, more demanding, that enhances our capability, as well as wanting to assist the United States, that's taking on a huge task in terms of the whole range of global security issues that it's meeting.
GRAEME DOBELL: How do you see this contributing from an Australian perspective to what the US is doing?
ROBERT HILL: I just see it as another aspect of a long, deep and important relationship. It's the same as the ship visits for example – we're now allowing the US to avoid having to take all of its ships all the way back to the United States, by transferring their crews in Australia.
In some other ways it's the same as the exercises we have with them. It's to enhance mutual capability, ensure inter-operability and to assist a critically important ally.
TONY EASTLEY: The Defence Minister Robert Hill in Singapore, talking there to Graeme Dobell.

[garoco]

My $$$ is on Rockhampton getting the nod, its close to WBTA and is on the East Coast. . .having a US base in Darwin is a little too close for comfort mentally for our Indon 'mates'.

[ShotOver]

Would scare the crap out of the Indos if the base is up in the NT.

[garoco]

Exactly. Physically, US capability from Rocky could hit anywhere within the massive Indon archipelago within a *very* short amount of time but politically I imagine it is best that any US forces be based on the East coast and not across the Arafura Sea from the Indon 'main island' of Java ;)

[oldsoak]

My $$$ is on Rockhampton getting the nod, its close to WBTA and is on the East Coast. . .having a US base in Darwin is a little too close for comfort mentally for our Indon 'mates'.

There is an Australian reply to the Indonesian attitude, but I gather your northern neighbours might not be comfortable with that either. :)
Surely, as good friends of yourselves and the US, they would have no objection to a powerful friend nearby ? ( tongue firmly planted in cheek )

[digrar]

My $$$ is on Rockhampton getting the nod, its close to WBTA and is on the East Coast. . .having a US base in Darwin is a little too close for comfort mentally for our Indon 'mates'.

I think Shoal water is the base you are thinking of. Wide bay is further down the coast and wouldn't be big enough.

I don't think we have anything to worry about from our North, nothing we couldn't handle anyway, with or without help.

[Hellman109]

I wouldnt war warships steaming over and training in our great barrier reef, it would screw it up pretty quickly.

Also, the reef would reduce where the ships could traved through, making them more vunerable in war (is this a base or a training camp? either way first US troops in Indo area would come from here).

So South of the reef, north where getting in supplies and such would be a bigger pain (theres not a huge lot north of cairns), or darwin.

Having a CBG parked in and around Darwin would be great for putting one boot firmly in the ass of those north of us, but would also ask for them to get pretty pissed off with us.

Where are our existing military ports? Darwin has a good base there, Brisbane has a pretty new port, but it might be a bit south, depending what conditions the US want.