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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
US Marines to build weapons stockpile in Australia, documents show — AFP
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In this photo released by Australian Department of Defense, a Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment moves across a waterway with United States Marines and Armed Forces of the Philippines soldiers during a large-scale combined amphibious assault exercise on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at a naval base in San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines. (Riley Blennerhassett/Australian Department of Defense via AP)
The US military is planning a permanent war-ready stockpile of weapons for its Marine Corps on Australia’s southeast coast, tender documents show and officials confirm to AFP.
Documents published by the US Navy this month show plans for $30 million allocated to build warehouses and offices in southeastern Victoria state for “critical forward provisioning,” including “crew served weapons.”
The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts say.
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