The high-level AUSMIN talks between Australia and the US in August underlined the Albanese government’s commitment to deepening its ties with the US empire.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong travelled to the US for the talks with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The agreements made at the meeting expand the militarisation of the Australian continent, intensify the US military presence in Australia and accelerate the drive to war on China.
The US military footprint in Australia is set to grow further as part of a plan to establish Australia as a major base from which the US can menace China. Rotation of US military aircraft through upgraded bases in WA and the Northern Territory will increase.
Following the talks Lloyd Austin said these deployments would include more visits by “bombers, fighter aircraft, and Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft”. Two thousand US Marines already rotate through Darwin under an existing agreement.
Progress also continues on plans to pre-position US Army equipment and materiel in Queensland and Victoria.
The military build-up is deadly serious. The talks noted the progress of US-funded upgrades to the Tindal Air Force Base in the Northern Territory, which will enable it to house six nuclear weapons-capable B-52 bombers. Disturbingly, under existing arrangements the US is not required to notify the Australian government if the bombers are carrying nuclear weapons.
AUSMIN also cemented the expansion of Australia’s military-industrial complex and the integration of arms production here with the US war machine.
By December agreements will be finalised for the production of precision strike missiles and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) in Australia.
Australia will be the first nation outside the US to produce the weapon. The intent is to produce volumes for “global consumption”, with demand for the GMLRS at an all-time high.
This militarisation is coming to Sydney’s suburbs. The GMLRS rocket systems will be produced through a partnership with US war-profiteers Lockheed Martin at Orchard Hills near Penrith in western Sydney. The facility will form part of a defence industry corridor planned by the state government around the new Western Sydney airport.
AUKUS 2.0
Alongside the AUSMIN talks the Albanese government has signed a new agreement to allow the transfer of nuclear material to Australia under the $368 billion AUKUS nuclear submarine deal with the US and UK.
The extraordinarily expensive nuclear subs have nothing to do with defending Australia and everything to do with ramping up aggression against China. Their distinguishing feature is that they can lurk off China’s coast for extended periods without refuelling.
The new agreement reveals the dangers the nuclear subs pose aside from their military use. Under AUKUS 2.0 Australia will indemnify the US and the UK “against any liability, loss, costs, damage or injury” arising from using the dangerous and dirty nuclear technology.
The new agreement also boosts the push for Australia to become a major arms manufacturer. It removes most licensing requirements for trade in controlled military goods, services and technologies with both the US and the UK.
Richard Marles is celebrating this as a boon for arms manufacturers which will “revolutionise defence trade”.
This aspect of AUKUS is supposed to encourage collaboration on advanced military technology. The kind of projects in the pipeline are chilling and include multinational experiments to develop AI-driven drone swarms for military use.
The aggression towards China at the heart of the deepening US alliance was summed up in a joint statement following the AUSMIN talks.
China’s harassment of Philippine fishing vessels in the South China Sea was condemned as “inconsistent with international law” as participants declared they would maintain a “steady and long-term presence” in the South and East China Seas and accelerate the military build-up in Australia.
The hypocrisy of the US and Australia posing as guardians of international law is jaw-dropping. Just over a week later Antony Blinken approved $20 billion in additional arms sales to Israel, despite the International Court of Justice charging it with genocide and saying it is practising apartheid. And Albanese continues to allow the export of parts for the F-35 fighter jets used by Israel.
The bloody record of the US in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine is clear. The Albanese government is deepening an alliance with the world’s most destructive state, turning Australia into a major manufacturer of weapons of death and helping push the region towards a catastrophic confrontation between nuclear powers. There must be anti-imperialist resistance every step of the way.
By Adam Adelpour
