Earlier this month, US air force fuel tankers flew from Australian airfields to refuel US B2 bombers heading to the Middle East to attack the Houthi rebels in Yemen who have been menacing Red Sea shipping.

Officials in Canberra offer an implied confirmation of this important strategic assistance to the US in the Middle East, saying that Australian support for the US strikes on Yemen on the night of October 16/17 included “access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia”.