US could fly spy drones from Australian territory-Washington Post
The plan has irked China and worried some Asian
countries:
AUSTRALIA: Australia on Wednesday said it may allow Washington to use
its territory to operate long-range spy drones, as part of an increased
US presence in the Asia-Pacific that has rankled China.
The United States and Canberra are planning a major expansion of
military ties, with the first of a 2,500-strong Marine deployment to
northern Australia unveiled last November by President Barack Obama due
to arrive next month.
The plan has irked China and worried some Asian countries who saw it
as a statement by Washington that it intends to stand up for its
interests in the region amid concerns of increasing assertiveness by
Beijing.
Australian media carried reports Wednesday citing a Washington Post
story that the United States was considering using the Cocos Islands, an
atoll in the Indian Ocean off northwest Australia, to launch unmanned
surveillance aircraft. They said the Cocos would replace the present US
Indian Ocean base of Diego Garcia, which America leases from Britain and
is due to be mothballed in 2016.
Aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered attack submarines could also be
based in Perth as part of efforts to refocus American defence resources
in the region, the reports added.
Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the use of the Cocos
Islands was a longer-term option for closer Australia-US engagement and
its airstrip would need to be upgraded before it could be used.
“Cocos is a possibility... it’s a long-term prospect and should be
treated as such,” Smith told ABC radio.
“It’s not currently ideal because one of the first things that we
would have to do... is a substantial infrastructure upgrade,
particularly so far as the airfield is concerned.
“That’s one of the reasons why this is very much a long-term
prospect.” An upgrade would cost anywhere between Aus$75 to Aus$100
million, he added.
The Cocos are seen as an ideal location to base unmanned patrol
planes to keep watch on the world’s busiest shipping routes and the
South China Sea. Smith said the key priorities of the closer cooperation
was the rotation of US Marines through the Northern Territory, greater
air access and more use of the HMAS Stirling base in Perth.
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