Agree, provocative your ass - US deployment of nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Australia’s north likely to fuel China tensions
No such provocative language here.
US-funded upgrade of Tindal airbase in Northern Territory will allow it to house up to six B-52s, as minister says Australia must remain ‘vigilant’
A US air force B-52 bomber. Tindal airbase in Australia’s Northern Territory will be able to host up to six of the nuclear-capable aircraft, officials have confirmed. Photograph: US Air Force/Reuters
Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent Mon 31 Oct 2022 15.44 AEDT Last modified on Mon 31 Oct 2022 15.45 AEDT
An expanded Royal Australian Air Force base in the Northern Territory will have space for up to six American nuclear-capable B-52 aircraft as part of a US-funded project that is likely to fuel tensions with China.
Officials in Canberra confirmed that the US-funded aircraft parking apron at RAAF Base Tindal, 320km south-east of Darwin, would be capable of accommodating up to six B-52 aircraft, but said it could also house other aircraft types.
They said the project was currently in the design phase, and played down the significance of the development, saying US bomber aircraft had been visiting Australia since the early 1980s and conducting training in Australia since 2005.
[Insert: Australia has supported the US in every major war the US has fought. Simpleminded polls are not more than a waste of money and time.]
Four Corners reported the US Department of Defence had budgeted $US14.4m ($A22.5m) for squadron operations and maintenance facilities at Tindal.
It cited US documents as saying: “The [squadron operations] facility is required to support strategic operations and to run multiple 15-day training exercises during the Northern Territory dry season for deployed B-52 squadrons.”
The minister for defence personnel, Matt Keogh, said Australia must remain “vigilant” amid regional tensions, but he did not think the B-52 rotation plans would inflame tensions with China.
“I don’t think so at all,” he told reporters in Hobart.
“I think what’s really important here is that the more we are able to build interoperability with the Americans, growing on that very strong alliance.”
The US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, avoided commenting directly on the B-52 plans on Monday, but said the US was determined to support “peace and stability throughout this region” through diplomacy, dialogue and deterrence.
In an interview with ABC News Breakfast, Kennedy said the Indo-Pacific was facing “increasing tensions” and the US would “work with our partners and allies to make this [region] safe”.
Dutton said the alliance with the US must be “match-fit to meet the strategic challenges ahead” and announced “greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia”, including strategic bombers.
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The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, said at the time that the US and Australia were exploring “greater and more frequent engagement … with our air capabilities, more training opportunities for our ground forces, and increasing our logistical footprint in Australia as well”.
Sources in Canberra said on Monday that the new aircraft parking apron was one of many capital infrastructure works aiming to support US force posture initiatives, alongside upgrades to airfields, fuel storage facilities, accommodation and training areas.
The Australian government believes the project will boost Australia’s capacity to train with and host international partners, because it also provides functionality for Australian defence force use and could also host other aircraft types.
The new details of the project are likely to trigger a reaction from the Chinese government. Chinese state media have previously quoted domestic analysts as saying Australia could “essentially become an overseas bomber base of the US”.
The deal commits Australia and Japan to consult each other on how to respond to regional crises, and is expected to pave the way for greater sharing of intelligence and strategic assessments about China’s intentions.
Albanese and Kishida have both called for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and raised concerns about China’s activities in the South and East China seas.
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