Pacific Perspective:AUSMIN 24 Focused on Containing China,Part 2

In the AUSMIN 24 statement,the Parties briefly mentioned some upgrades to facilities in Australia's Northern Territory that the U.S. and Australia were making.An article in The Washington Post went into this in more detail.The article pointed out that Australia was offering the U.S. a vast launching pad in the event of conflict with China.Across Australia,it says,many old bases were being cleaned up or upgraded,some of them dating back to the World War II era,to prepare for another global conflict.Said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles:This is about deterrence.We're working together to deter future conflict and to provide for the collective security of the region in which we live.*Australia joined AUKUS,the Australia/UK/U.S. defence Alliance,under which Australia,the U.S. and UK will provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines with sensitive technology.Of the cleaning and upgrades,Representative Michael McCaul,R-Texas,chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Commitee:This provides a central base of operations from which to project power.*A comprehensive upgrade of RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory is underway with Australia spending nearly a billion dollars so far on the project.Part of the project is a new parking apron for four of Australia's largest military aircraft,the KC-30 refueling tanker that will facilitate refueling fighter aircraft such as the RAAF Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter for distant missions.The RAAF Lightning IIs are based at RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory and RAAF Williamstown in New South Wales.The U.S. also intends to build a parking apron at the base for six Boeing B-52 H/J Stratofortress strategic bombers that can reach mainland China.These would be deployed to Australia much more frequently,according to U.S. Secretary of Defense GEN Lloyd F. Austin III U.S. Army ret.Noted Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles:increasing U.S. force posture in Australia.We see that as very much in Australia's national interest.People understand that we are living through challenging times,when the global rules-based order is under pressure.*At RAAF Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory,the U.S. Marines have built a new fuel depot for their Bell Boeing MV-22 Ospreys,an aircraft that can vertically take off and land like a helicopter,but fly straight ahead like an airplane.Refueling the Ospreys could extend their range into the South China Sea;the Philippine Sea and to the Solomon Islands.Said Rep. McCaul:As Chairman Xi (Xinping) is looking out at all of this,he's feeling more deterrence.Our capabilities to respond are getting stronger.*According to BGEN Michael Say,head of Australia's Force Posture Initiative,even more upgrades are being contemplated for three skeleton facilities in remote Western Australia state and Quennsland state to accomodate heavier U.S. and Australian aircraft.In the Cocos Islands,Canberra will soon be upgrading the airstrip to accomodate heavier aircraft such as the Boeing P-8A Maritime Surveillance Aircraft,which also has anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities.*Lockheed Martin (LMT),Boeing (BA), Bell Helicopter (TXT)

Exercise Arctic Shock:US,Norwegian Armies Put to the Test

From 18-22 March 2024,U.S. Army and Royal Norwegian Army Soldiers took part in bilateral Exercise Arctic Shock,a short notice planning (SNAP) exercise,according to a press release by U.S. Army Europe and Africa.Involved was a flight over the North Pole from Alaska to Bardufoss,Northern Norway for a parachute drop by 150 US paratroopers of the 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Angels),a unit of U.S. Army Pacific,and 100 paratroopers of the Royal Norwegian Army's 2nd Battalion.The scenario was the rapid reinforcement of the Norwegian Armed Forces by Arctic paratroopers from the U.S. Army Pacific.Said MG Brian Effler,11th Arctic Airborne Division's commanding general:This type of exercise shows,once again,Alaska's strategic location in the world and the 11th Arctic Airborne's strategic value to the Army and the nation.We value the chance to work with our Allies in the Norwegian Armed Forces and to learn advanced cold-weather techniques from their vast experience while demonstrating our own growing Arctic professionalism.The Arctic is a critical region for power projection and homeland defence.MG [Lars] Lervik,[chief of the Norwegian Army],and the Norwegian Army are great Allies,and exercises like this are effective in expanding our Arctic cooperation;practising interoperability;and continuing to build our strategic relationships.SNAPs help ensure participants are ready to respond to real-world contingencies with little or no advance notice.*Exercise Arctic Shock is a sub-exercise of Nordic Response,which is part of NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024,the largest NATO drills since the Cold War,featuring approximately 90,000 troops,demonstrating NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other parts of the Alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe.