The New York Times carried another article about Obama’s decision to expand the U.S. military presence and activity in Australia as part of its containment of China. U.S. imperial arrogance is on full display. Also, the article also touches on the the new types of military basing arrangements that we are more likely to see in the coming years. With growing pressure to cut the federal budget, foreign military bases have come under increasing scrutiny in Congress. Joint use base agreements are a way to ensure U.S. military access to bases without having to incur the cost and effort of maintaining the bases. For example all South Korean military bases are available for U.S. military use, which is why the Jeju island military base is seen a U.S.-driven project. Here’s a brief excerpt from the NYT article:
“But the second message I’m trying to send is that we are here to stay,” Mr. Obama said. “This is a region of huge strategic importance to us.” He added: “Even as we make a whole host of important fiscal decisions back home, this is right up there at the top of my priority list. And we’re going to make sure that we are able to fulfill our leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region.”
On his two-day visit to Australia, the president will fly north across the continent to Darwin, a frontier port and military outpost across the Timor Sea from Indonesia, which will be the center of operations for the coming deployment. The first 200 to 250 Marines will arrive next year, with forces rotating in and out and eventually building up to 2,500, the two leaders said.
The United States will not build new bases on the continent, but will use Australian facilities instead.
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