It appears that the U.S. military buildup in Australia, which is squarely aimed against China, is growing without any discussion or debate in the Australian parliament. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has run a report on heretofore-unknown plans to expand U.S. military infrastructure at RAAF Darwin—as revealed in Biden Administration budget documents submitted to the U.S. Congress!
A new U.S. Air Force “mission planning” and operations center will be built in Darwin, as part of $630 million in American spending in Australia’s Northern Territory over the next two to three years, ABC reports. The “Squadron Operations Facility” in Darwin will add to its growing array of military assets in the north, raising fears Australia may be locked into any future military conflict between China and the U.S.
ABC goes on to report that the tender documents say the Squadron Operations facility in Darwin will be used for maintenance, mission planning, intelligence and crew briefings—it is budgeted to cost $US26 million ($40 million). The U.S. is also building a parking apron at RAAF Darwin that is expected to cost $US258 million, according to budget documents.
This latest spending push follows the U.S. outlaying around $270 million to build 11 giant jet fuel storage tanks near Darwin’s main port. Some of these fuel reserves were previously located at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii but are now being dispersed across the region.
