Brigade-strength Japanese military forces will train alongside U.S. Marines in northern Australia from 2025 onwards it was confirmed during high-level talks hosted in the Northern Territory capital Darwin on Sunday.
Australia’s Defence Minister Defence Minister Richard Marles joined U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to make the announcement.
Austin and Marles sat down with their Japanese counterpart, Nakatani Gen, for a trilateral meeting focused on regional security, as all three nations grow increasingly anxious of a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, ABC News reports.
“Today we are announcing that there will be regular deployments of Japan’s amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to Australia,” Marles said at a televised press conference in Darwin.
In a statement earlier, Marles said the talks included planning for deployments of Japan’s elite Rapid Deployment Brigade to northern Australia, which diplomatic sources say are scheduled to begin with the next rotation of U.S. Marines in 2025.
“The trilateral partnership between Australia, Japan and the United States is built upon our shared values, deep trust, and unbreakable commitment to the stability and security of the Indo-Pacific region,” Marles said.
As concerns grow over Beijing’s continuing militarisation of the South China Sea, Marles emphasised the importance of ties with Japan and the United States, saying the “enduring partnership is crucial to collective deterrence in our region,” the ABC News report notes.
About 2,000 U.S. personnel deploy to northern Australia between April and October each year as part of Marine Rotational Force Darwin (MRF-D), under a 25-year agreement which was established in 2011, as Breitbart News reported.
Australia is also considering allowing the United States to use its territory to operate long-range spy drones for sorites over the South West Pacific and beyond.
