Paul Keating in the last news cycle was slamming the US military involvement in Australia. Keating would therefore be dismayed to hear that Australia is being set up for what the chair of the US House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, Republican congressman Michael McCaul, called "the central base of operations" for America's military to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. US bombers were being deployed to Australia's northern bases. AUKUS is also allowing licence-free technology transfers for military weapons. McCaul said: "It is the central base of operations in the Indo-Pacific to counter the threat.""If you really look at the concentric circles emanating from Darwin – that is the base of operations, and the rotating (US) forces there are providing the projection of power and force that we're seeing in the region."
Nuclear-capable bombers and fighter jets have been stationed in the northern bases. Here is as well is the strategic importance of Pine Gap, which according to some Australian defence authorities is likely to be the target of communist Chinese missiles, probably by subs, in the coming Taiwan invasion, as central communications and tracking occur there. We do not know what lies underground at Pine Gap, but a reasonable guess is that there is a vast, well-fortified structure, underground and hardened. We do not know. It is therefore possible that the Chinese will use a nuclear missile on the base, a small tactical one, which will not be a great danger to the populations by fallout, but will profoundly impact upon the Australian psyche, more than the Japanese bombing of Darwin in World War II. Keating would no doubt see this as an objection to AUKUS, but at this late stage of the game, it is unavoidable.
"Australia has become "the central base of operations" for America's military to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the chair of the US House of Representatives' powerful foreign affairs committee has declared.
Republican congressman Michael McCaul told The Weekend Australian a recently announced boost to US bomber deployments to Australia's Top End bases would enable America to project power across the region to prevent future wars.
Mr McCaul also hailed an AUKUS breakthrough on Friday allowing licence-free technology transfers. He declared the partnership vital to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping that an invasion of Taiwan was a "not a good idea".
He said the security pact would survive a Trump presidency, arguing that the AUKUS concept predated the Biden administration and had "very, very strong bipartisan support".
Speaking in Sydney after a 10-day visit, Mr McCaul said Australia's geography offered key advantages to the US as it sought to deter Chinese aggression.
"It is the central base of operations in the Indo-Pacific to counter the threat," he said.
"If you really look at the concentric circles emanating from Darwin – that is the base of operations, and the rotating (US) forces there are providing the projection of power and force that we're seeing in the region."
Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong signed off last week on more frequent rotations of nuclear-capable US bombers and fighter jets through Northern Territory bases, amid growing American concerns over the vulnerability of its bases in Guam, Japan and The Philippines to Chinese missiles. The move prompted a fierce backlash from Labor elder Paul Keating, who warned Australia was being turned into "the 51st state of the US", and would be dragged into conflicts by its "aggressive ally".
Mr McCaul said closer military ties between the nations would "provide more deterrence in the region and project power and strength so we don't have a war". He said rotational deployments of US nuclear submarines from Perth from 2027, along with AUKUS's Pillar II technology-sharing partnership, would strengthen the allies' deterrence against Chinese threats.
"Time is really of the essence right now, as Chairman Xi has announced his 2027 project," Mr McCaul said, referring to Mr Xi's call for Chinese forces to be ready to invade Taiwan within three years.
He dismissed concerns raised by a US congressional think tank last week that the sale of three to five Virginia-class submarines to Australia under AUKUS "could weaken rather than strengthen" American deterrence because they might not be available for use in a war with China.
"I strongly disagree with that assessment," Mr McCaul said of the Congressional Research Service's warning to US politicians.
"I think the whole point of AUKUS is to strengthen our alliances in the Indo-Pacific. This is really going to be a game changer."
He said integration of the nations' defence industries would be key to accelerating new capabilities such as hypersonic missiles and Anduril's Ghost Shark underwater drone, which is being developed in Australia.
"I envision there being co-production facilities in Australia … helping to build up our defence industrial base, which is really stressed right now with war in the Middle East and Ukraine and the eastern Europe threat," Mr McCaul said.
Mr Marles said removal of defence-licensing restrictions for Australian companies was a very significant step, creating what was effectively a defence free trade zone between Australia, the US and Britain.
"This is really important in terms of our ability to build our future submarines, but also to pursue that AUKUS Pillar II agenda of those new innovative technologies," the Defence Minister told the ABC.
Big business has warned that political leaders aren't moving fast enough to implement the AUKUS plan, calling for the country to unite behind the partnership "to avoid letting our greatest industrial opportunity slip". Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black says the technology-sharing partnership is about more than submarines and South Australia, and needs to be viewed as nation-building.
Writing in The Weekend Australian, Mr Black points to Australia's lowly 55th ranking in a new global skills report, warning AUKUS "will require massive co-ordination across governments" to supply the 20,000 skilled workers required to deliver the program.
Echoing warnings by SA Premier Peter Malinauskas on federal cuts to student and skilled worker visas, he says the nation's migration strategy "must be part of that picture".
Mr Black says AUKUS's success will also require modernisation of the nation's industrial base and wider economy, enabling Australian companies to join global supply chains and expand their market reach.
"It has the potential to drive us towards a once-in-a-lifetime, whole-of-economy transformation," he writes.
"The shift which we need to see is from viewing AUKUS as defence policy, to viewing it as nation-building policy – or even economic future-proofing policy. AUKUS isn't just about South Australian subs. To dismiss it as such is a gross disservice to our national potential."
After AUSMIN talks in the US last week, Mr Marles said America's military was now operating in Australia across "land, sea, air, cyber and space". He also hailed new US logistics facilities to be located in Queensland and Victoria, saying they would enhance the ability of US forces to operate from Australia into the region.