Peter Dutton wants to lift numbers of US marines

Peter Dutton says he wants more US marines in the Northern Territory and US navy ships to operate out of Western Australia.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Peter Dutton says he wants more US marines in the Northern Territory and US navy ships to operate out of Western Australia, declaring the nation’s security depends on even closer military ties with its ANZUS ally.

The Defence Minister said with the prospect of military conflict “less remote than in the past”, Australia needed to “prepare for whatever may be on or below the horizon”.

He told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s annual conference in Canberra that Australia was working to take greater responsibility for its own security, but needed to “become an even more reliable alliance partner” to the US.

He said there was scope to increase the size of the US marine rotational force in the Top End from its 2500-strong pre-Covid high, and to base US navy vessels at HMAS Stirling near Perth.

“I think that is in our own ­security interest, and I think it is in the interest of the US as well,” he said. “In terms of composition and numbers and what it might look like, I will leave that for another day. But there is a desire by us to see a further strengthening of that relationship and that ­engagement.”

Mr Dutton said the desire to increase Australia’s military ­engagement with the US was “not something we have hidden from the public”, and deepening those ties would be central to talks between Scot Morrison and US President Joe Biden at the G7-Plus summit in Cornwall over the weekend. “There is clearly the opportunity for Australia to do more given our geographic ­location in terms of troop movements et cetera,” he said.

His comments come amid a global force posture review by the US government, and follow those of US charge d’affaires Mike Goldman, who told The Australian it “just makes sense to forward deploy” US war stocks in Australia, given US bases in Guam and elsewhere in the region were within reach of Chinese missiles.

Mr Dutton said the ANZUS alliance, which has its 70th anniversary later this year, was ­already Australia’s most important security relationship, “but there is a genuine refocus now”.

“I think the times just make that a reality,” he said.

He said the strengthening of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the US, Japan and India in recent times was “a very significant step”. He said the Quad partners shared a “view that people need to stand up – and that’s what we are doing”.

Mr Dutton, who recently said the prospect of a conflict with China over Taiwan could not be discounted, said Australia wanted to have a peaceful and productive relationship with ­Beijing.

“But we don’t accept breaking of the law; we don’t accept interference in our electoral process; we don’t accept interference in processes of democracy,” he said.

“We crave a peaceful region, and that is what we will continue to work towards.”

He said Australia was working towards developing greater ­deterrence capabilities through long-range strike weapons, ­offensive and defensive cyber forces, and area-denial options.

“We have the ability to bring capability on sooner, in a meaningful way, and we can deliver that according to our stated principles,” Mr Dutton said.

US marines and their equipment have rotated through Darwin each dry season since 2012, undertaking combined exercises and training with the ADF and regional partners including Japan. US strategic bombers are also rotating through Australia’s Top End bases, with a recent $1bn ­upgrade to RAAF Tindall to build fuel and munitions storage facilities and extend its runway for US B-52s.