US to Upgrade Military Infrastructure, Develop New Bases in Australia, Guam to Counter China

In February, US President Joe Biden asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “to conduct a global posture review to ensure the footprint of American service members worldwide is correctly sized and supports strategy”. The Pentagon says that the review will help it “best allocate military forces in pursuit of our national interests”.

The United States will be embarking on a “range of infrastructure improvements” in Australia and Guam, which will include upgrading current military infrastructure and developing new bases in the region, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

“In Australia, you’ll see new rotational fighter and bomber aircraft deployments. You’ll see Ground Forces Training and increased logistics cooperation,” said Dr. Mara Karlin, the acting Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.

Karlin was unveiling the initial outcomes of the Global Posture Review, which she said, has been “approved” by President Joe Biden.

However, a majority of the suggestions made in the GPR remain “classified”.

“And actually, more broadly, across the Indo-Pacific, you’ll see a range of infrastructure improvements in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Australia. Those will include things more broadly like logistics facilities, fuel storage, munitions storage, airfield upgrades. So, we’re doing a lot that will hopefully come to fruition in the coming years,” Karlin said.

Karlin said that the “priority region” for the GPR was the Indo-Pacific (Asia-Pacific), in line with the Pentagon describing it as posing a “pacing challenge” to the US.

“The Global Posture Review directs additional cooperation with allies and partners across the region to advance initiatives that contribute to regional stability. And deter potential military aggression from China and threats from North Korea,” the US Department of Defence (DOD) official said.

She further disclosed that US officials have conducted GPR consultations with Australia, Japan, South Korea, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies as well as a dozen governments in the Middle-East and Africa.

Karlin noted that besides recalibrating America’s military posturing in the Asia-Pacific region, the GPR “identified additional capabilities that will enhance U.S. deterrence posture in Europe”.

“Looking ahead, the Global Posture Review directs the Department to conduct additional analysis on enduring posture requirements in the Middle East,” she also informed reporters.

She said that “monitoring threats” from “violent extremist organisations” was also a focal point in the GPR as far as Africa was concerned.

“Humanitarian assistance” and “counter-narcotics operations” are the points that feature in the GPR in the context of central and South America, Karlin added.

Karlin also pointed out that the US’ national security in coming years will be “informed” by the GPR.

“You’ll be able to point and see kind of a down payment on some important pieces there,” replied Karlin, when asked if the US’ defence budge will have funding provisions for some of the suggestions made in the GPR.

The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for the year, the first under Biden presidency, has proposed a federal defence expenditure of nearly $770 billion. However, the NDAA has yet to clear the US Congress, amid disagreements among Republicans and Democrats over the intricacies of the bill.

The NDAA, an umbrella legislation addressing the across-the-spectrum defence expenditures of the US, was blocked in the Senate on 29 November as well.