SYDNEY, Oct 31 – The United States plans to deploy up to six nuclear-powered B-52 bombers to an air base in northern Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported on Monday, amid heightened tensions with China.
Dedicated bomber facilities will be set up at the remote Tindal Air Force Base, about 300 km (190 miles) south of Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, ABC’s Four Corners program said, citing US documents.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia engages in defense alliances with the United States “from time to time”.
“Obviously there are visits to Australia, including Darwin, where the U.S. Marines are of course deployed on a rotational basis,” Albanese said during a media conference.
Australia’s Northern Territory already hosts frequent military cooperation with the United States. Thousands of US Marines rotate through the territory annually for training and joint exercises, started under President Barack Obama.
The office of Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States has drawn up detailed plans for what it calls a “squadron operations facility” for use during the dry season in the Northern Territory, an adjacent maintenance center and a parking area for B-52s, the ABC report said.
The ability to deploy long-range bombers in Australia sends a strong message to adversaries about Washington’s ability to project air power, the US Air Force said in a report.
Last year, the United States, Britain and Australia struck a security deal to give Australia the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines, angering China.
The deployment of the B-52s, which have a combat range of about 14,000 km, to Australia will be a warning to Beijing as fears of an attack on Taiwan grow, said Becca Wasser, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for a New American. Security, ABC said.
This year, the U.S. deployed four B-52s to its Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.