Long-range heavy bombers could be based in Australia, US general reveals

Updated

The United States wants to regularly rotate long-range heavy bombers through Australia, as concerns grow over China's military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.

Key points: US keen to station B-1 bombers in NT amid tension in South China Sea

Deployment would be in conjunction with RAAF

Australian Defence Minister confirms US presence will be greater

Commander of US Pacific Air Forces, General Lori Robinson, has revealed high-level discussions are underway to have American B-1 bombers and aerial tankers temporarily stationed in the Northern Territory.

"We're in the process of talking about rotational forces, bombers and tankers out of Australia (Tindal and Darwin) and it gives us the opportunity to train with Australia", she told reporters in Canberra.

"It gives us the opportunity to strengthen the ties we already have with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and it gives the opportunity to train our pilots to understand the theatre and how important it is to strengthen our ties with our great allies, the RAAF."

While acknowledging the risk of a "miscalculation" as a result of China's rapid military build up in the South China Sea, General Robinson insisted the United States would continue to fly above and sail through the disputed waterway.

General Robinson is the latest US official to publicly call on Australia to conduct Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea.

"We would encourage anybody in the region and around the world to fly and sail in international air space in accordance with international rules and norms" she said.

"We would encourage all nations in the region to do just that, just as the United States is doing" General Robinson added.

Features of the B-1 bomber: Manufactured by Boeing

Has the largest internal payload of any current bomber

Capable of rapidly delivering 84 227-kilogram bombs

Intended for high-speed, low-altitude penetration missions

Entered into service in 1986 in United States Air Force as a nuclear bomber

Is no longer armed with nuclear weapons, but is capable of carrying air launch cruise and short-range attack missiles

Last year former Prime Minister Tony Abbott insisted a senior US official had "misspoke" when he told a congressional hearing there were plans to station long-range American bombers and surveillance aircraft in Australia.

Appearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May, US Defence Department Assistant Secretary David Shear said the Pentagon would be "placing additional air force assets in Australia" including "B-1 bombers and surveillance aircraft".

Australian Minister for Defence Marise Payne refused to be drawn on the deployment of long-range bombers, but said the US Air Force would have a larger presence in the country.

"The Enhanced Air Cooperation Initiative, which is part of the Force Posture Initiative, is in development and will result in increased rotations of US Air Force elements through Northern Australia," Senator Payne said.

"Australia remains strongly supportive of the US rebalance to our near region, and we work together closely in support of our common regional interests."

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Vietnam, China, Malaysia have eyes on the prize

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Rich in resources and traversed by a quarter of global shipping, the South China Sea is the stage for several territorial disputes that threaten to escalate tensions in the region.

At the heart of these disputes are a series of barren islands in two groups - the Spratly Islands, off the coast of the Philippines, and the Paracel Islands, off the coasts of Vietnam and China.

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Both chains are essentially uninhabitable, but are claimed by no fewer than seven countries, eager to gain control of the vast oil and gas fields below them, as well as some of the region's best fishing grounds.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have made claims to part of the Spratlys based on the internationally recognised Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline.

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Based on the EEZ, the Philippines has the strongest claim on the Spratlys and their resources, with its EEZ covering much of the area.

However the lure of resources, and prospect of exerting greater control over shipping in the region, means that greater powers are contesting the Philippines' claims.

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China has made extensive sovereignty claims on both the Spratlys and the Paracels to the north, based largely on historic claims outlined in a map from the middle part of the 20th Century known as the 'Nine Dash Map'.

Taiwan also makes claims based on the same map, as it was created by the nationalist Kuomintang government, which fled to Taiwan after the communists seized power in China.

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Vietnam also claims the Spratlys and the Paracels as sovereign territory, extending Vietnam's EEZ across much of the region and bringing it into direct conflict with China.

There have been deadly protests in Vietnam over China's decision to build an oil rig off the Paracels.

One Chinese worker in Vietnam was killed and a dozen injured in riots targeting Chinese and Taiwanese owned factories, prompting 3,000 Chinese nationals to flee the country.

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EEZ can only be imposed based on boundaries of inhabitable land, and this has prompted all the countries making claims on the region to station personnel, and in some cases build military bases out of the water, to bolster their claim.

Building and protecting these structures has resulted in a series of stand-offs between countries in the region, each with the potential to escalate.

China has been leading the charge with these installations, and has deployed vessels to the region to protect their interests.

Chinese coast guard vessels have used a water cannon on Vietnamese vessels, as well as blockading an island where the Philippines has deployed military personnel.

Rich in resources and traversed by a quarter of global shipping, the South China Sea is the stage for several territorial disputes that threaten to escalate tensions in the region.At the heart of these disputes are a series of barren islands in two groups - the Spratly Islands, off the coast of the Philippines, and the Paracel Islands, off the coasts of Vietnam and China.Both chains are essentially uninhabitable, but are claimed by no fewer than seven countries, eager to gain control of the vast oil and gas fields below them, as well as some of the region's best fishing grounds.Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have made claims to part of the Spratlys based on the internationally recognised Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline.Based on the EEZ, the Philippines has the strongest claim on the Spratlys and their resources, with its EEZ covering much of the area.However the lure of resources, and prospect of exerting greater control over shipping in the region, means that greater powers are contesting the Philippines' claims.China has made extensive sovereignty claims on both the Spratlys and the Paracels to the north, based largely on historic claims outlined in a map from the middle part of the 20th Century known as the 'Nine Dash Map'.Taiwan also makes claims based on the same map, as it was created by the nationalist Kuomintang government, which fled to Taiwan after the communists seized power in China.Vietnam also claims the Spratlys and the Paracels as sovereign territory, extending Vietnam's EEZ across much of the region and bringing it into direct conflict with China.There have been deadly protests in Vietnam over China's decision to build an oil rig off the Paracels.One Chinese worker in Vietnam was killed and a dozen injured in riots targeting Chinese and Taiwanese owned factories, prompting 3,000 Chinese nationals to flee the country.EEZ can only be imposed based on boundaries of inhabitable land, and this has prompted all the countries making claims on the region to station personnel, and in some cases build military bases out of the water, to bolster their claim.Building and protecting these structures has resulted in a series of stand-offs between countries in the region, each with the potential to escalate.China has been leading the charge with these installations, and has deployed vessels to the region to protect their interests.Chinese coast guard vessels have used a water cannon on Vietnamese vessels, as well as blockading an island where the Philippines has deployed military personnel.

Topics: defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, federal-government, air-force, world-politics, australia, nt

First posted