As a nation in 2012, Australia is being pressed into military service for Washington, the Metropolis of modern war. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran, (and Israel) constitute the immediate field of operations. We are becoming embroiled in the South China Sea. We are on the war path.
One week ago, 200 US Marines from the Fox company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment arrived in Darwin to begin a 6 month rotation training in Australian military bases, both independently and with Australian troops.
Eventually the US Marine training force in Darwin will reach 2,500. They will have full MAGTF capacity. The close relationships between this training and the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre – in support of the Empire’s new “force posture” (whack ‘em from sea and air with mobile forces, then get out) – has been made clear.
The Australian reported that the training was oriented to enhancing MAGTF (Marine Air Ground Task Force) – the capacity of a Marine task force to strike at land targets via helicopter, from a distance, with minimal logistics and an emphasis on a secure command based on a nice, safe warship. Command, control, and communication are space-enhanced digital. Read about current US experiments in “enhanced” MAGTF here.
Please notice that in the article above, Exercise Talisman Sabre is considered by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (Quantico) as part of the MAGTF experimental program.
“In July [2011] the Corps will conduct another enhanced MAGTF artillery experiment as part of Talisman Saber, a military exercise conducted every other year with Australia. Marines with 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, out of Okinawa, Japan, and elements of Twentynine Palms’ 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, will assist the lab in performing a live-fire exercise from an amphib in the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area off the coast of eastern Australia. Flynn instructed the Marines to focus on the capability gaps, such as weaknesses in communications gear used to connect Marines onshore with commanders miles away on ships,”
The new US Global and Australian regional “force postures” involve Australia in the ongoing preparation for and prosecution of multiple wars. Wars in which the Australian role is very much one of loyal deputy to the US sheriff.
The Australian Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, made it clear to the assembled media on 4 April when he welcomed the Marines of Fox Company to their training post in Darwin:
“One of the additional benefits and advantages to Australia as a result of the joint training will be as we, the United States and the international community draws down from the Middle East, from Afghanistan, on the 2014 transition of arrangements, at the same time in the middle of this decade – 2015, 2016 – we’ll see a significant enhancement of Australia’s amphibious capability with the arrival of two landing helicopter docks, which give us a ship to shore capability.
Marines of course are the world’s experts in ship to shore capabilities. So as we move to that amphibious ship to shore capability, the experience that the Marines have in that respect will be invaluable to the training as the nature of that capacity so far as Australia changes. “
Darwin and Rockhampton are vitally important training bases for the US military.
We are right to hinder that training effort wherever we are able, while pointing to the wars that flow from our service to empire.