Colonel Jason Armas to command US Marine force flying to Darwin, Australia
Despite growing uncertainty surrounding trade relations under the Trump administration, Australia’s military relationship with Washington D.C. will remain unchanged in the Top End, with a 2500 strong US Marine force starting to fly into Darwin.
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Despite growing uncertainty surrounding trade relations under the Trump administration, Australia’s military relationship with Washington D.C. will remain unchanged in the Top End, with a 2500 strong US Marine force flying into Darwin.
On Monday, the first batch of Marine Rotation Force – Darwin touch down, followed by further sub-units in the following weeks.
It is understood the US visitors will be commanded by Colonel Jason Armas, who has almost 25 years of military experience under his belt.
A graduate of the US Naval Academy in 2001, Colonel Armas deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan during the war on terror.
However, Colonel Armas’ experience is not limited to the Middle East, with the senior commander having also undertaken various assignments in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan and the Philippines.
The latest MRF-D cohort are expected to have a busy season under Colonel Armas’ leadership, with the ADF having scheduled trilateral exercise Talisman Sabre for July.
As such, MRF-D will have a short window to both acclimatise and familiarise themselves with their Australian counterparts before embarking upon one of the world’s largest military training exercises, which will consist of almost 20 foreign military forces.
The fresh wave of US military presence follows several Washington D.C.-led inquiries concerning the Northern Territory, with a logistics team having inspected supply-chain facilities at RAAF Base Darwin, as well bases in North Queensland and Western Australia just last month.
The logistics team’s examination of key sites was followed by a week-long defence industry mission in Honolulu, Hawaii, this month, in which more than 20 US military contractors and senior officers discussed the Territory’s ability to support US military projects.
It is understood an NT delegation, led by DefenceNT, are yet to debrief Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on the mission’s findings.
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Originally published as Colonel Jason Armas to command US Marine force flying to Darwin, Australia