Written by: Nick G. on 7 January 2024
US moves to increase its military presence in Australia contain two immediate threats to our nation and people.
One is the more obvious danger that US bases and equipment stockpiles become targets in the event of a US war with China. The other, less obvious, relates to biosecurity threats.
Ukraine and Gaza raise supply chain problems
The Ukraine and Gaza conflicts are forcing the US to reexamine its logistics deployment.
From maintaining platforms from afar to a deep-seated demand for mass quantities of munitions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is providing US Army Materiel Command with a wealth of insights into what it needs to do to prepare for contingency in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a three-star general there, Army Materiel Command’s deputy Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan.
“(Ukraine’s) lines of communication are contested, like we know we’re going to have in the South China Sea, so we should look at it from that same lens,” he later added.
US imperialism has provided more than $13 billion in equipment and weapons to Kyiv since the Russian invasion.
Mohan was critical of Ukraine’s wasteful use of US weapons and said that the US was continuing to grapple with an array of stockpile questions after watching Ukraine burn through munitions provided by US and other friendly nations.
The drain on US stockpiles by Ukraine created similar problems when the Zionists launched their genocidal attacks on Gaza. On October 17, the Australian Financial Review reported that “US arms manufacturers are preparing to surge weapons supplies to Israel at a time when they are already under pressure to arm Ukraine and replenish depleted Pentagon stocks, a challenge analysts say will add stress to a stretched defence industrial base.
“Unlike Ukraine, which has been the recipient of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles, Israel is primarily seeking munitions. Interceptors for its Iron Dome missile defence system are at the top of the country’s wish list.”
US Congress dragged its feet on approval of sales to Israel, forcing Biden to use an emergency authority to allow the sale of about 14,000 tank shells to Israel without congressional review.
The tank rounds worth $106.5m were for immediate delivery to Israel to assist its killing of Palestinians. The shells are part of a bigger sale the Biden administration is asking the Congress to approve. The larger package is worth more than $500m and includes 45,000 shells for Israel’s Merkava tanks, regularly deployed in its aggression in Gaza.
US plans military expansion
According to the online US newsletter Breaking Defense, “One key to any future US engagement could be, for instance, US Army Prepositioned Stockpiles or APS”. The US has seven such stockpiles around the globe, one of which is “afloat” or stored on naval vessels.
Mohan said he is a proponent for expanding land-based equipment numbers in the Indo-Pacific region to reduce transit times and avoid hurdles like agricultural inspections.
He wants military exercises in our region in 2024 to focus on provision of supplies from stockpiles. Mohan said he is a proponent for expanding land-based equipment numbers in the Indo-Pacific region to reduce transit times and avoid hurdles like agricultural inspections.
Australia, because it is a “friendly” country and because of its location, is favoured to host more APSs.
However, a December 23, 2022 US Congressional paper notes that such large stockpiles “makes them potential priority targets for adversary long range weapons in conflict scenarios”.
That is the first and obvious danger to Australia if it hosts such stockpiles.
Mohan’s desire to “avoid hurdles like agricultural inspections” refers to quarantine requirements governing the introduction of foreign goods to Australia.
During the Talisman Sabre Exercise in 2023, the US Army had to bring huge amounts of equipment into Australia. However, Australia’s strict agricultural inspection guidelines, including searching inbound military weapons for pests, meant the US spent months deep cleaning the weapons and vehicles in Hawaii before loading back onto a ship with an agricultural inspector onboard outfitted with pesticides.
Under an agreement with Australia, that inspector is not allowed to be an Australian. The US refuses to allow Australian or any other country’s inspection of its vessels, military equipment and personnel. We are in the invidious position of having to train US personnel to do the job for us, and to trust that they will do it to the standards of exactness and thoroughness required to protect our biosecurity.
US Maj. Gen. Jered Helwig, in charge of logistics deliveries into Australia for Talisman Sabre, said “We did a really good job of cleaning… but they did find a few .”
So, what’s a few little insects between friends? In a “nudge-nudge wink-wink” explanation of how this was got around, Helwig admitted “…because of the relationship that we built with the (Australian) Department of Agricultural, Fisheries and Forestry … they allowed us to mitigate that in a way” that only took days and not weeks.
Even allowing for our “strict agricultural inspection guidelines” to be “mitigated”, in real war conditions such delays in the movement of armaments and other supplies is unacceptable to the US, so increasingly, it is looking to have an Australian APS or two or three so that what it needs for a conflict with China is immediately within the region.
It is not in our interests to increase the presence of US bases that other countries may attack if push comes to shove, and because we don’t want our biosecurity protections diminished as the US transports materiel into and out of our country, we must say “No” to US APSs on our soil.
Australia’s best defence is its own people motivated to protect an independent and peaceful foreign policy.
Sources:
From petroleum pipes to pest problems, what a US Army 2-star learned from Talisman Sabre 23
Defense Primer: Department of Defense Pre-Positioned Materiel
Telemaintenance and stockpiles: Army Materiel Command takes its own lessons from Ukraine
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