The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said.
Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could be targeted early in a conflict, limiting operational flexibility, it said.
Photo: AFP
Stirling, relatively close to hot spots such as the South China Sea and Taiwan, would offer forward maintenance and operational options beyond Guam, Hawaii or the US mainland.
“If you were in some kind of conflict, and your ships are getting damaged, you’re going to want to return to the fight quickly. So having this geography to enhance what you have in Guam, to enhance what you have in Pearl Harbor ... it’s going to make the US Navy able to get back to it faster,” the Journal quoted US Navy Submarine Group 7 Commander Rear Admiral Lincoln Reifsteck as saying.
About 34km south of Perth, Stirling exemplifies growing US-allied military integration.
Washington and partners hope such demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs, and allied forces are increasing joint training and standardizing equipment to ensure their militaries are interoperable and interchangeable, it said.
The Australian government is investing about A$5.6 billion (US$3.93 billion) to build training facilities, housing, upgraded submarine piers, radioactive waste disposal infrastructure and power facilities at Stirling.
Last year, the USS Vermont, a Virginia-class attack submarine, docked at the base for four weeks, during which the US and Australian personnel completed dozens of maintenance tasks.
Nearby Henderson Naval Base is also receiving A$8.4 billion to develop a maintenance and shipbuilding precinct, including dry docks for major repairs, the Journal reported.
The report quoted Hudson Institute senior fellow Bryan Clark, a former submariner, as saying that the Australian facilities “should be more than Guam, since it will have a permanent maintenance facility ashore with a dry dock.”
As Australia does not allow foreign military bases, officials describe the US presence as rotational.
However, preparations suggest submarines could remain at Stirling for extended periods, with about 1,200 personnel from the US and UK expected to rotate through, and Britain planning to deploy a submarine as well, it said.
As a country reliant on maritime trade, Australia could benefit from US submarines patrolling northern choke points, the report said, adding that Stirling could also serve as a hub to block key sea lanes, cutting off China’s external trade in the event of a conflict.
“Strategically and operationally, it’s a no-brainer,” the Journal quoted Mike Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, as saying.
While China could still target the base with missiles, its distance makes an attack more difficult, Green said.
“That bastion could really matter,” he added.
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