Darwin activist Justin Patty hits out at US Yemen strike

A local activist has lashed out after the US stealth bombers were given the green light to use Territory airspace for a bombing raid mission, claiming foreign use of Australia’s northern bases is drawing the nation into unwanted conflicts.

Justin Tutty says the Force Posture Agreement is posing risks to Australia. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A Darwin antinuclear war activist has warned a recent strike against Houthi fighters, which involved US stealth bombers using Territorian airspace, exposes risk in allowing allied partners to wage war from the Top End.

The claim comes after American B-2 bombers executed precision strikes against multiple underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled Yemen.

Less than 24 hours after US Senator Lloyd Austin confirmed the strikes, a Department of A Defence spokesperson confirmed to this masthead the bombers were provided air access in the Top End.

“Australia provided support for US strikes conducted on 17 October 2024 targeting Houthi facilities in Yemen, through access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia.”

American B-2 bombers executed precision strikes against multiple underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled Yemen.

For operational security purposes, the spokesperson declined to divulge if other support was provided, but confirmed the bombers did not land at RAAF Base Tindal in Katherine.

Due to the stealth bomber’s mid-air refuelling capability, however, it has been speculated, the airframes passed over the Territory to ensure it could complete its flight path uninterrupted.

Founding member of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network, Justin Tutty, said he held concerns the nation could be inadvertently pulled into overseas action.

“Recent events show the way Australia can be drawn into conflicts far away by our American allies,” he told this masthead.

“We know that the Force Posture Agreement gives occupying Americans control of agreed facilities where they can do what they want and, in this way, we can be implicated in conflicts that we don’t want a part of.”

RAAF Base Tindal has attracted the interest of US officials, who have announced plans to bolster the base with bombers and jets. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Tutty took aim at local MP Luke Gosling and said the decision to aid the strikes contradicted the Federal Government’s position on another Middle Eastern matter.

“Now we have also done away with pretence that Labor’s tolerance of IDF atrocity crimes was about prioritising social cohesion – to avoid ‘taking sides’”.

With the US Government intending to bolster its Top End presence, Mr Tutty said he feared further involvement.

“Obviously the (RAAF Base) Tindal upgrades are quite advanced, we’re expecting more Marines, and possibly more US Navy too,” he said.

“We don’t know the detail yet, but it’s all going in one direction.”

In a statement, Mr Gosling reiterated a statement from his ABC Afternoon Briefing interview last week.

“We wouldn’t discuss detailed operational matters or intelligence matters. We are proud of our very close relationship with US, we host the US Marines in Darwin and work incredibly closely with the US air force and US Army for that matter,” he said.

“We obviously are part of a global effort to make sure that terrorists are not able to interdict free trade, are not able also to threaten the lives of Australians or indeed Australia’s interest around the world.

“So of course we work with our allies and our partners to achieve that aim.”

“The Territory is incredibly important, not only for the ADF but for increased inter-operability with our allies and partners, and it’s a role we are proud to play.”

“There are no deliberate messages being sent from Australia, other than we are in lock-step with our allies in order to uphold a rules-based order upon which Australia’s own security and prosperity is so dependent”.

Originally published as Darwin activist Justin Patty hits out at US Yemen strike