Influx of US Marines into Darwin for MRF-D as first batch cleared of COVID-19

AT LEAST two plane loads of US Marines are due to arrive in Darwin this week, as their numbers rapidly grow in the Top End

AT LEAST two plane loads of US Marines are due to arrive in Darwin this week, as their numbers rapidly grow in the Top End.

The Department of Defence confirmed a second batch of US Marines arrived on Tuesday.

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It is understood a plane owned by a US airline landed in Darwin on June 15 from Honolulu, for the slimmed- down version of the annual Marine Rotational Force military exercise. The same plane is due to arrive in Darwin today from Okinawa. Both cities have major US defence bases.

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NT Government quarantine data also revealed a big spike in air arrivals in the past two days as a SecureNT spokeswoman confirmed US Marines arriving in Darwin were captured in the data.

A total of 644 people, 413 by air and 231 by road, arrived in the NT in the 48 hours to the morning of June 17.

The first batch of US Marines to arrive in Darwin left quarantine earlier this week.

US Marines getting off a flight in Darwin. Picture: Facebook

All 200 of those US Marines returned negative COVID-19 tests at the start and end of quarantine.

A Department of Defence spokesman said the US Marines will commence individual and small group training on release from quarantine, with larger scale collective training due to commence in early August. MRF-D was initially postponed due to the threat of coronavirus but was reinstated in early May after high-level conversations between the two allied nations.