Australia’s Cocos Islands territory could be used as a staging point for flights by United States unmanned surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea.
Citing US and Australian sources, The Washington Post said that the Pentagon was eyeing the Indian Ocean territory’s coral atolls as an ideal site to launch Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, as well as manned surveillance flights.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith has previously revealed Australia’s Cocos Islands territory could be used “down the track” for a jointly-operated Australian-US air base.
But it is the first time the territory has been suggested as a base for unmanned flights. Aircraft based in the Cocos would be well-positioned to launch surveillance flights over the South China Sea,” The Washington Post notes.
This report comes as Australia prepares for the arrival of the first of 2500 US Marines for deployment in Darwin.
Under the plan announced by US President Barack Obama and Julia Gillard, the troops from the Hawaii-based Third Marine Regiment are expected to be based at Darwin’s Robertson Barracks.
They will spend months training at the Australian Defence Force’s Bradshaw and Mount Bundy training areas in the Northern Territory.
A US Marines air-ground taskforce is designed to fight at short notice as a powerful, self-contained force with its own protective air power, able to land on a hostile shore or carry out non-combat operations such as disaster relief.
Photo Credit: Craig Greenhill/The Daily Telegraph
Source: The Australian
Wonder if that’s in insight into Australia’s pending BAMS purchase.
Under the plan announced by US President Barack Obama and Julia Gillard, the troops from the Hawaii-based Third Marine Regiment are expected to be based at Darwin’s Robertson Barracks.