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US military to build war-ready stockpile in Australia: Documents
The $30 million plan would add warehouses and offices for crew-served weapons and other prepositioned equipment, officials said.
The United States military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia's south-east coast to counter China's rapid military build-up, tender documents show.
Documents published by the US Navy this month allocated $30 million to build warehouses in Victoria for "critical forward provisioning," with the stockpile expected to reach full capacity by 2028.
Australian National University professor John Blaxland cited concerns over the US military base on Guam's vulnerability, calling greater US investment in Australia "the most prudent approach to take."
Lowy Institute security director Sam Roggeveen called the move "a major change to Australian policy" aligning Australia with America's strategic objectives, while noting these facilities would become obvious targets for China.
The Pentagon has requested $500 million from Congress in 2027 to improve prepositioning of equipment across the Asia-Pacific, continuing a Cold War-era strategy of maintaining global supplies in places like Norway.