US ALARM AT 'COOLING' ON MARINES

BRENDAN NICHOLSON From: The Australian April 02, 2013 

The plan is to build the rotations up to 1100 marines soon and to a 2500-strong taskforce, complete with ships and aircraft, some time after 2016. Picture: Kelly Barnes Source: The Australian 

AS discussions continue on whether Australia will help the US share the cost of placing a fully equipped 2500-strong marines taskforce in Darwin, concern is growing that the Gillard government's enthusiasm for the plan is cooling.

US Defence officials have told Australian officials they are concerned about "slippage" in Canberra's support for the US pivot and the rotation of a force of marines through northern Australia.
The first rotation of about 250 marines spent several months training in Australia last year.
The second rotation is due to arrive this month, again about 250 strong. The plan is to build the rotations up to 1100 marines soon and to a 2500-strong taskforce, complete with ships and aircraft, some time after 2016.
It would train in the Top End for six months of the year.
Peter Jennings, a former senior Defence official who now heads the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, writes in The Australian today that senior US officials in Washington and in think tanks that focus on Asian security have been puzzled by a perceived cooling of Australian support for increased defence co-operation.

At recent congressional committee hearings, US Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Locklear warned that US defence funding cuts could slow the push to rebalance its forces to the Asia-Pacific by reducing the number of military exercises that could be held and regional engagement generally.
Mr Jennings said that should be of great concern to Australian defence planners.
Admiral Locklear said the Indo-Asia-Pacific was the world's most militarised region and that challenges ranged from North Korea's third nuclear test to a proliferation of submarines, growing concerns about aggressive cyber intrusions and an increase in the use of improvised bombs in south and Southeast Asia.
Asked whether Australia would pay a share of the cost of deploying the US marines to Darwin, an Australian Defence Force spokesman said: "The deployment of US forces to Australia will be funded by the US and other costs will be paid for under existing legal, financial and logistics agreements and arrangements."
The spokesman said the Australian government had not yet made any decisions about the detailed arrangements for larger US Marine Corps rotations.
However, there was already considerable pressure from within congress for US allies to share the cost of the pivot.
At a congressional hearing last year, committee chairman J. Randy Forbes said the plan to redistribute the Marine Corps force from Okinawa, Japan, into the region represented a significant investment.
"Could you describe to me the current state of host nation discussions with regard to offsetting overall costs in Guam and Australia?" Mr Forbes asked US officials.
The officials told Mr Forbes it was premature to talk about cost-sharing because they did not yet know what the deployments would cost.
"As yet we do not know the extent of the infrastructure needed or required for our presence and what Australia has to offer, and what we are looking to do."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/us-alarm-at-cooling-on-marines/story-e6frg8yo-1226610490588
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