Major defence move amid growing tension

More foreign troops will be deployed to the Northern Territory in a major defence move amid simmering tensions in the region. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Richard Marles was in Darwin on Sunday to meet his Japanese and American defence counterparts as part of trilateral talks on boosting interoperability between forces.

Ahead of the meeting, the Defence Minister said the Reciprocal Access Agreement, which allows Japan and Australia to use each other’s military bases, presented an opportunity for Japanese forces to train up alongside Australian and US troops.

“So we have spoken to Japan about having their Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade doing training with our own defence force … and with the US marines,” Mr Marles told Sky News.

He said the move was “about building Australian capability”.

“It is really important that we are building the best relationships possible with like minded countries, with our friends and with our allies,” Mr Marles said.

“Japan is obviously a country with whom we share values of democracy. We have a huge strategic alignment with Japan.”

Mr Marles said he would give more details of the arrangements later on Sunday.

The deepening of three-way defence ties with Tokyo and Washington comes amid increased Chinese military assertiveness.

Last month, the Chinese military simulated an invasion of Taiwan as part of major war games that were condemned by the democratically self-governed island’s Western allies, including Australia.

Beijing claims Taiwan and swathes of the strait that separates it from the Chinese mainland, with President Xi Jinping having pledged to unite the two in his lifetime.

In September, the Chinese military also confirmed it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean in a “routine” test.

The launch was the first such test in more than 40 years.

The Chinese defence ministry said the ICBM was carrying a “dummy warhead” and the launch was “not directed at any country”.

But ICBMs are primarily used as a nuclear weapons delivery system, which is why the test has sparked regional apprehension.