US bases out now

Policy background

The increased US military presence in Australia is a setback for peace.

The number of joint US-Australian military exercises on Australian soil continues to grow.

The Australia-US deal struck in 2013 allows some 2500 US Marines to be stationed in Darwin; allows US war planes, including B-52 bombers, more access to Australian bombing ranges and training facilities in remote areas of the Northern Territory; and more US military ship visits to Darwin and other ports in northern Australia.

US military equipment stored in northern Australia will include cluster bombs.

The likely use of depleted uranium munitions in joint military exercises in northern Australia poses an extreme threat to the environment and human health — particularly that of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The existing US intelligence base at Pine Gap in central Australia has become more important to the US war machine..

Pine Gap has long been essential to US covert communications and its capacity to wage nuclear war.

Socialist Alliance supports and campaigns for:

• An end to all aggressive military alliances, such as that with the US;
• The removal of all US military facilities and troops from Australia; and
• An end US navy visits to Australian ports.