The US is planning to build additional military infrastructure in Australia once the US Congress gives approval to the US Navy for US$211.5 million, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said yesterday.
The plans for a bigger US footprint in Australia comes at a time when the two nations have become increasingly concerned by China’s efforts to expand its influence in the Pacific region.
“The development of facilities will support the Force Posture Initiatives,” Payne told Sky News, referring to agreements reached in 2011 between the US and Australia to enhance their defense relationship.
Those initiatives entail 2,500 US Marines training in Australia each year and regular joint training between the nations’ air forces.
Payne did not say what military infrastructure the US aims to build, but Australian media earlier this month reported that Washington had plans for a new port facility near Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory.
US marines are deployed in an annual rotation for training in the territory, and are housed at an Australian military base in Darwin.
“A port is the missing leg of the stool in US military engagement with Australia,” said Euan Graham, director of the national security program at La Trobe University.
A US embassy spokesman in Canberra declined to comment.
The Australian Department of Defence said it would expect concrete plans only when the proposal is approved by the US Congress.
If the US does build a port facility in Darwin it would be located near the Port of Darwin, over which China’s Landbridge Group Co (嵐橋集團) secured a 99-year lease in 2015.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned