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Australia saved by US marines again (Read 258 times)
Unforgiven
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Australia saved by US marines again
Apr 19th, 2017 at 12:54pm
 
58,000 Diggers can adjourn to the refreshments tent because 1250 US marines are here to do the real fighting.

The new F-35 jets will be used only for jingoistic celebrations.


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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-18/us-marines-ready-for-anything-as-latest-ro...

Quote:
Amid warnings that North Korea's nuclear weapons program poses a "serious threat" to Australia, the latest contingent of United States marines to arrive in the country have said they are ready for anything.

The first group of 1,250 marines touched down in Darwin on Tuesday morning for their sixth annual dry season rotation in the Top End.

Their arrival comes as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop defended US President Donald Trump's "they gotta behave" message to North Korean leadership after its failed missile test on Sunday.

"[North Korea] is on a path to achieving nuclear weapons capability and we believe Kim Jong-un has a clear ambition to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload as far as the US," Ms Bishop said.

"That would mean Australia would be in reach so unless it is prevented from doing so, it will be a serious threat to the peace and stability of our region, and that is unacceptable."

In Darwin, the rotation's commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Brian Middleton said the force was ready, come what may.

"Any time a marine force is forward deployed, we are always on standby for anything," he said.
He said this year's contingent was "the most robust package" the marines had put together for training in the Top End, featuring an "ace aviation combat element" of 13 aircraft.

Over the next two weeks, the deployment's largest fleet of military aircraft yet will be brought to Australia as part of the agreement, including four high-speed troop transporters, the MV-22 Osprey, five Super Cobra helicopters and four Huey helicopters.

The next six months will see the troops train with their Australian counterparts and other nations, including Japan and China.

Troops committed to improving Australia-US relationship

"We look forward to getting down to the business of what this is really about, it's improving the relationship between Australia and America and we look forward to exercising, training and increasing and improving the operability between our forces and other forces in the region," Lieutenant Colonel Middleton said.

"We stand ready to fight and win the night always, but certainly there's been no indications from anyone that we are more or less ready based on the conversations that are being had right now."
The rotation to Darwin was first announced in 2011 as part of the US's pivot towards the Asia Pacific region; the agreement was signed by former prime minister Julia Gillard and former US president Barack Obama.

It provides for an eventual increase to 2,500 marines to be based in the NT for half of the year.

Sergeant David Hudson said the troops were looking forward to their time in Australia.

"We did a lot of long excruciating training to be where we are so we're looking forward to going to the next level," he said.

China and Indonesia accept presence of US in region: analyst

Despite the escalating tensions between the US and North Korea, the marine deployment must be seen in context, said Dr Euon Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

"It's on a relatively small scale and I think that has been effectively 'priced in' in the region," Dr Graham said.

"I don't think China sees it as a strategic game-changer, and the Indonesians ... who of course are closest to it – who were initially unsettled by the marine attachment - I think they have also grown used to it and accept it."
Indeed, according to the agreement, by this year the number of marine troops was supposed to be double what it actually is – 2,500 versus 1,250.

"We're talking about very small numbers, and there's no sense that the marine detachment in Darwin is a jumping-off point for operational, strategic responses," he said.

"They may be called upon to do so in future, and particularly with humanitarian or disaster relief in the region, but we're still some way away from the initial target of 2,500 of the all-up marine team, so those sorts of numbers are not strategically significant."

If the program plan for the US marines and their Australian counterparts changes at all as a result of the escalating tensions, Dr Graham believes it might be that the two forces will train together more regularly.
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« Last Edit: Apr 19th, 2017 at 1:24pm by Unforgiven »  

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UnSubRocky
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Re: Australia saved by US marines again
Reply #1 - Apr 19th, 2017 at 3:18pm
 
Yay!
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Grappler Truth Teller Feller
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Re: Australia saved by US marines again
Reply #2 - Apr 19th, 2017 at 3:22pm
 
It's called a speed bump, same as the 2nd Infantry Div in Korea and the 101st in Saudi pre-Desert Storm - anyone who attacks them up there will feel the full wrath of US retaliation.  It is sending a message to any potential attacker on Oz that they need to 'come through US first, and if they hit us, we hit back!".
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Brian Ross
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Re: Australia saved by US marines again
Reply #3 - Apr 19th, 2017 at 4:15pm
 
Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Apr 19th, 2017 at 3:22pm:
It's called a speed bump, same as the 2nd Infantry Div in Korea and the 101st in Saudi pre-Desert Storm - anyone who attacks them up there will feel the full wrath of US retaliation.  It is sending a message to any potential attacker on Oz that they need to 'come through US first, and if they hit us, we hit back!".


Actually, they are here because they are reinforcements for the troops stationed in the ROK and on Guam.   Both are in range of Chinese/DPRK IRBMs and the US Marines like to have some spare Marines in case they all get wiped out.   Their presence is not designed to deter anybody from attacking Australia because we don't have any enemies with the capabilities to effectively attack us.    Roll Eyes
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Someone said we could not judge a person's Aboriginality on their skin colour.  Why isn't that applied in the matter of Pascoe?  Tsk, tsk, tsk...   Roll Eyes Roll Eyes
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