Posted on 07/23/2006 11:20:16 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
US bombers to practise in NT
Brendan Nicholson
July 24, 2006
UNITED States bombers will pound a test range in the Northern Territory this week, practising the pinpoint strikes they would use on targets such as nuclear weapons sites, missiles or terrorist bases.
The bombers will fly non-stop from their base on Guam and back, and be refuelled in the air by American planes operating out of the RAAF base in Darwin.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said it was important for Australia to work more effectively with its major ally to meet new threats, including those from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
This has triggered speculation that the planes, which can carry nuclear weapons, could be practising for targets in so-called rogue states, such as North Korea or Iran.
Philip Dorling, a former foreign affairs adviser to the Federal Opposition, said Australia was now helping in weapons training by US nuclear forces, which were the ones most likely to be used in any American action against those two countries.
"When the Americans rattle their sabre they will be rattling it in the NT," Dr Dorling said. "There really is not much in this for Australia other than the Howard Government's desire to agree to every American request or initiative."
The head of the Strategic Policy Institute at the Australian National University, Hugh White, said he believed the exercises were part of the evolution of US posture in Asia, which included a build-up of air power on Guam.
"The more aircraft they base in Guam the more important it is for them to have access to the kind of large continental training areas Australia can provide," he said. That would be relevant to any confrontation with China or with North Korea.
Building up forces in Guam would also make the US less dependent on bases in Japan and South Korea, Professor White said. An agreement allowing the US to use the Delamere bombing range in the NT to "project power" into the region was signed at last November's Australia-US ministerial summit in Adelaide.
Taking part in the demonstration of long-range air power will be B-1 and B-2 stealth bombers and B-52s.
Dr Nelson said that training and exercising with the world's most technologically advanced armed forces provided many benefits to the Australian Defence Force that could not be obtained any other way.
This week's exercise will also give Australia the opportunity to see how effectively its revolutionary Jindalee over-the-horizon radar system picks up stealth aircraft.
The Jindalee's signal bounces down off the ionosphere onto a target, while normal radar signals travel in a straight line from the receiver to the target which, at that angle, is a much smaller cross-section.
Ping!
Pills? I thought they were suppositories.
Will there be a viewing platform? If so, book me in for day 1!!!
There's always a whiner around. I think it's great that we're strengthening our military ties with Australia. We couldn't ask for a better ally.
More like laxatives...because Mini-Me will be soiling his shorts when the real thing comes.
Could it be a good guess that there is going to be 2 major wars in the near future, as in a world war ?
Don't want to hurt no Kangaroo!
They all hate us anyhow, so let's drop the big one now.
Dunno. Iran one would suppose. i suspect that the DPRK might best be 'served' by a launch from an Ohio Class Trident Missile Submarine. Very hard to detect (our navy can't do it yet), and almost no time to react for the DPRK.
One would not have to destroy vast tracts of N. Korea, merely take out Men Taly Il's Command and control abilities, and the threat is neutralised. The DPRK generals aren't stupid (if they were they wouldn't be generals), they'd be ready to call it a day.
bump
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