US to Step Up Military Presence Across Asia, into Indian Ocean

[Big Bill Jefferson]

US sets eyes on southern defence outposts
Hamish McDonald ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR
November 6, 2010


Regional visit ... the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, arrived in Melbourne yesterday. Photo: AFP

THE United States military will store equipment and supplies in Australia as part of a new regional posture to respond faster to natural disasters and other contingencies, and conduct more intensive training with Australian forces. The two militaries will also build a new space-monitoring facility in Western Australia, as previously reported in the Herald, to extend tracking of space activity, including missiles from rogue states like North Korea and orbiting debris.

Washington and Canberra will also step up co-operation in cyber security and warfare to counter what Defence analysts see as an ''emerging area of strategic risk'' as foreign states and individual hackers try to break into government data banks and control infrastructure systems.

The initiatives are expected to emerge from Monday's annual bilateral ministerial talks on defence and foreign affairs, involving the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, and their Australian counterparts, Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith.

In the closed-door talks in Government House, Melbourne, Mrs Clinton and Mr Gates will outline a stepped-up American military presence across Asia into the Indian Ocean. This will involve more frequent patrols and port-calls by US Navy ships and other units, including to Australian bases.

...

http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-sets-eyes-on-southern-defence-outposts-20101105-17hhf.html

[HopeHoops]

1. DAMN Hillary has aged since she took this job.

[Poll_Blind]

3. My gramma had thick bushy eyebrows like that and I'd hide 'em too if I were her. n/t

PB

[bigdarryl]

4. Everybody forgets Hillary is 63 years old

[HopeHoops]

5. That's not what I'm talking about. She was 61 two years ago. The job has aged her.

Think about it. Most presidents come in with dark hair and leave pure white, well except for Grecian Formula 44 Raygun. She's in a stressful position, albeit not AS stressful as president, but close. You can see the change.

[Catherina]

2. The world is ours!

Tony Montana: Me, I want what's coming to me.
Manny: Oh, well what's coming to you?
Tony Montana: The world, chico, and everything in it.

[arbusto_baboso]

6. The empire expands while it crumbles within. SIGH.

From a strategic and tactical standpoint, this seems pretty unnecessary. And I highly doubt that this is about "responding more quickly to natural disaster". There's a purpose to this that has more tangible benefits to certain parties. What are they? Who are those parties?