Barack Obama’s marine numbers fall short

The number of US marines arriving in Darwin for military exercises has failed to match Barack Obama’s grand plan.

US marine captain Robert Lee Bailey II at RAAF Darwin. Picture: Michael Franchi

The number of US marines ­arriving in Darwin for military ­exercises next month has again failed to match Barack Obama’s grand plan to use the Northern Territory as a new “pivot in Asia” and it is unlikely the original target of 2500 troops will ever be met.

Defence Minister Marise Payne has confirmed 1250 marines will arrive in Darwin in mid-April, but that is half the target that was to be met by the end of last year as part of the arrangement the former US president and Julia Gillard agreed upon in 2011 as part of a new US “commitment to Asia”.

The continued failure to meet the target of a full brigade of marines training with Australian troops in the Northern Territory by the end of 2016, a three-year cost-sharing dispute and a growing emphasis on air training mean the initial plan for ground training will not be fulfilled.

In 2014 the Abbott government confirmed the US-Australian arrangement and the target of having 2500 US marines with equipment and aircraft training in the Northern Territory by the end of last year.

Senator Payne has confirmed the long-running cost dispute ­involving $2 billion in training ­infrastructure and running costs over 25 years between the US and the Australian defence departments has been settled.

A significant part of the cost of the 25-year project is the upgrading of the runway at the Darwin RAAF base to accommodate more and larger US aircraft. There is also new accommodation for the Marines at Robertson Barracks.

There were concerns before the US presidential election that Donald Trump would withdraw from the deal because of the continuing cost dispute, but Malcolm Turnbull said in Washington last year that it would be settled.

The deal was finalised a few weeks ago and the sixth ­rotation of US marines is preparing to leave for Darwin.

A government analysis of the agreement last year found ­failure to implement it would “undermine Australia’s longstanding ­alliance with the US”, a view ­endorsed by the parliamentary treaties committee.

Last year US defence officials described the rotation as “part of the US re­balance to the Asia-­Pacific region” and said it was not known when the target of 2500 troops would be reached.

But while the number of marines is stalled at half the target, the US will send its largest aircraft ­deployment to Australia as part of the next rotation.

The air deployment will ­include four tilt-rotor Ospreys, five Super Cobra helicopters and four Huey helicopters.

This compares with the four UH-1Y helicopters sent for the ­rotational deployment last year and four CH-53E Super Stallions in 2015.