Pacific Perspective - Combat Power,Part 2:US to Expand Military Presence in Australia

An investigation by the Australian Broadcast Corporation reveals that the United States is in the process of expanding its military presence in the Northern Territory of Australia.For example,up to six Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic nuclear-capable bombers are to be deployed to RAAF Tindal south of Darwin.A squadron operations facility and an adjacent maintenance centre,plus a parking area for the huge aircraft are also in work.According to Becca Wasser of the Centre for a New American Security think tank:Having bombers that could range and potentially attack mainland China could be very important in sending a signal to China that any of its actions over Taiwan could also expand further.*According to the US Air Force:The ability to deploy US Air Force bombers to Australia sends a strong message to our adversaries about our ability to project lethal air power.*The Australian Ministry of Defence declined to comment on just when the B-52s would begin their deployment.According to defence academic Oriana Skylar Mastro of Stanford University:The time frame for an assault on Taiwan I would put it at 2025-2027.*Added Ms.Wasser:For 15 years I would ask the Chinese military if they coud do this and the answer was 'no'.So the fact at the end of 2020 they're starting to say 'yes'.I think that's a significant message we should pay attention to.*The US plans to spend more than a billion dollars upgrading its military presence across the Northern Territory.The US Air Force says the parking area for the B-52s will be finished in late 2026:The RAAF's ability to host the USAF bombers as well as to train alongside them,demonstrates how integrated our two air forces are.*According to the US DOD:The 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.*Other DOD plans include building its own jet fuel storage tanks in RAAF Darwin and an ammunition bunker at RAAF Tindal.*During the 2021 annual mimisterial meetings called AUSMIN,it was decided that under an enhanced air cooperation policy,there will be:rotational deployment US aircraft of all types in Australia.*Said US Defense Secretary GEN Lloyd Austin III,U.S. Army ret.:Today we endorse major force posture initiatives that will expand our access and presence in Australia.*Significantly,there is construction of 11-giant fuel storage tanks in RAAF Darwin.Said Mr.Ashley Townshend of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:We will see much greater numbers of US military personnel forward located in Australia.That will include personnel for all three services:Navy,Air Force and Army,as well as the Darwin Marines,which are likely to be expanded.*The AUSMIN communique spoke of 'efforts to advance force posture cooperation to deter our adversaries'.*Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap,near the town of Alice Springs in the outback,has been undergoing a major expansion of its giant antennae over the past decade.It is a SIGINT base with detachments from the CIA,NSA and DOD National Reconnaissance Office onsite.The base is staffed jointly by civilian and military personnel.A joint US/Australian committee meets there every morning to decide on the intelligence targets for the day.*Boeing (BA)

Oldest Naval Aviator Dies

Captain Pliny G. Holt,U.S. Navy Retired,MBE,who was believed to have been the oldest naval aviator at age 99,died on 4 January in Potomac,Maryland.A native of Stockton,California,Captain Holt earned his wings from Pensacola Naval Air Station with his brother Frank-the first brothers to do so-in December 1936.Trained as an engineer and mechanic at Stanford University and the Boeing School of Aeronautics,he developed instrumentation for naval aircraft such as gyroscope autopilots,as well as crucial night bombing navigation systems for the Royal Air Force,for which he was awarded membership in the Order of the British Empire by King George VI.Near the end of World War II,Captain Holt flew combat missions in the Pacific theater.Over the course of his career,he flew in over 100 aircraft types.
After the war,Captain Holt continued his engineering activities,heading the Navy's Guided Missile Division,Advanced Project Section,designing and building the first airborne inertial navigation system.His mechanical genius was attested to by the fact that he was awarded several dozen patents for his discoveries.Retiring in 1968,Captain Holt was awarded the Legion of Merit for over three decades of major achievements for his service and his nation.He coninued his aviation work as a consultant to IBM on avionics and aviation systems.
An accomplished golfer,Captain Holt played rounds with the likes of Admiral Ernest J. King,Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford,among other notables.His other hobbies included model railroading and ship model building,at both of which he distinguished himself.Captain Holt was preceded in death by his wife,Elyse Law Holt.He leaves behind his nieces and nephews to admire his voluminous legacy.