US military to build stockpile of war-ready weapons in Australia beyond range of Chinese missiles | Today’s news

The US military is seeking to build a permanent stockpile of combat-ready weapons off Australia’s southeast coast, according to bidding documents released by the US Navy and confirmed by officials, AFP reported.

The facility, the first for Marines on Australian soil, is part of a broader US strategy to use the continent’s geographic location in the South Pacific as a counterbalance to China’s accelerating military build-up.

What procurement documents reveal about Australia’s arms stockpile

Documents released by the US Navy this month show about $30 million has been allocated to build warehouses and offices in the south-eastern state of Victoria for what the documents describe as “critical forward provision”. The stockpile is expected to reach full operating capacity by 2028.

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According to tender documents, the supplies will initially be held in Melbourne before being moved to dedicated US warehouses to be built at the Australian military base at Bandiana in rural Victoria next year.

The U.S. Navy is hiring a global defense contractor to employ approximately 110 engineers, mechanics, material and security specialists to operate the facility. The stocks contain what the documents describe as “arms serving the crew.”

Why the US Marine Corps stores equipment in Australia

The Marine Corps has maintained a global strategy of prepositioning military supplies since the Cold War, stockpiling weapons, ammunition and vehicles capable of sustaining thousands of troops on floating vessels and in underground facilities, including caves in Norway.

The first land-based storage facility of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to open this year in the Philippines, near potential flashpoints in the South China Sea. The Australian facility, which received approval last July, represents a significantly larger investment.

“Marine Corps activities in Australia support integrated global support by maintaining equipment and supplies ready for release for operations and exercises in the Indo-Pacific,” a spokesman for US Marine Corps Forces Pacific told AFP.

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The spokesman added that the measures would be taken in close coordination with the Australian Department of Defence. “These activities improve responsiveness, enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and support a range of missions in the Indo-Pacific,” the spokesman said.

The strategic logic of placing the warehouse beyond China’s missile range

The facility’s location in south-east Australia is no accident. A report published this week by the Lowy Institute think tank warned that China has the ability to hit northern Australia with ballistic missiles deployed from its bases in the South China Sea.

Sam Roggeveen, director of the Institute for International Security, told AFP that missile range was likely to be a “relevant consideration” in deciding where to place stockpiles in south-east Australia. However, he warned that once the device is operational, it will not go undetected. “Once these facilities are operational, they will be a clear target for China,” he said.

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Roggeveen also framed the broader trajectory of the US military presence in Australia from a strategic perspective. The growth of US forces and equipment in Australia is “a major change in Australian policy that aligns Australia much more closely with America’s strategic objectives in the region,” he said.

Australia’s sensitivity around foreign military bases

Australia does not allow foreign military bases to be established on its territory, a policy that is particularly sensitive given the country’s long-standing security alliance with the United States. An increasing number of US forces currently rotate at Australian defense bases under existing arrangements.

About 2,000 US Marines conduct exercises six months a year in Darwin on Australia’s north coast. The Bandiana inventory is a separate program from the US military equipment that was left at the same base after the 2023 bilateral war game.

“The Marine Corps and Army equipment programs are designed to support their respective service requirements and are governed by separate authorities and processes,” a Marine Corps spokesman said.

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Australia’s Defense Department told AFP it was maintaining a “southern core infrastructure strategy focused on force generation, sustainment, medical networks and logistics hubs” to allow the military to project power from Australia’s north.

Analysts say Australia’s geography is becoming increasingly strategically important

Academic and political analysts have pointed to a shift in how Australia’s position is viewed in the context of the wider Indo-Pacific security competition.

John Blaxland, professor of international security at the Australian National University, noted that the country’s position is seen with “a growing sense of importance” amid concerns about the vulnerability of the US military base in Guam.

“With the competition for influence in the Indo-Pacific reaching its highest level in more than a generation, it is not surprising that the US Marines may seek such a repository in Australia,” Blaxland said.

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He added that increased US investment in Australian infrastructure was seen as a pragmatic alternative to a large expansion of Australian defense spending. “Without a massive increase in Australian defense spending, for which there is little political appetite, allowing greater US investment in Australian real estate is generally seen as the most prudent approach,” he said.

Pentagon seeks $500 million for Asia-Pacific military prepositions

The Australian stockpile is part of a broader Pentagon effort to strengthen its logistics posture across the region. The Pentagon has asked the US Congress for $500 million for the coming year to improve the deployment of equipment and fuel in the Asia-Pacific, which is expressly labeled as a deterrent against China.

A Marine Corps spokesman declined to comment on specific details of the contract or force planning assumptions, but confirmed that equipment held at the facility would be maintained at “high readiness.”