Obama: U.S. to expand military in Australia

Updated at 9:44 a.m. ET

CANBERRA, Australia - President Obama insisted Wednesday that the United States does not fear China, even as he announced a new security agreement with Australia that is widely viewed as a response to Beijing's growing aggressiveness.

China responded swiftly, warning that an expanded U.S. military footprint in Australia may not be appropriate and deserved greater scrutiny.

The agreement, announced during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will expand the U.S. military presence in Australia, positioning more U.S. personnel and equipment there, and increasing American access to bases. About 250 U.S. Marines will begin a rotation in northern Australia starting next year, with a full force of 2,500 military personnel staffing up over the next several years.

Mr. Obama called the deployment "significant," and said it would build capacity and cooperation between the U.S. and Australia. U.S. officials were careful to emphasize that the pact was not an attempt to create a permanent American military presence in Australia.

"It also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region that want to feel that they're getting the training, they're getting the exercises, and that we have the presence that's necessary to maintain the security architecture in the region," Mr. Obama said.

The president spoke shortly after arriving in the Australian capital, his second stop on a nine-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. After a 10-hour flight from Honolulu, where he hosted an economic summit, Mr. Obama headed straight into meetings with Gillard.

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On Thursday, Mr. Obama will address the Australian Parliament, then fly to the northern city of Darwin, where some of the Marines deploying to Australia next year will be based.

During his news conference with Gillard, the president sidestepped questions about whether the security agreement was aimed at containing China. But he said the U.S. would keep sending a clear message that China needs to accept the responsibilities that come with being a world power.

"It's important for them to play by the rules of the road," he said.

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And he insisted that the U.S is not fearful of China's rise.

"I think the notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we're looking to exclude China is mistaken," he said.

China was immediately leery of the prospect of an expanded U.S. military presence in Australia. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Wednesday that it was worth discussing whether the plan was in line with the common interests of the international community.

Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes said the agreement was not only appropriate, but also a response to the demand from nations in the region that have signaled they want the U.S. to be present.

The U.S. and smaller Asian nations have grown increasingly concerned about China claiming dominion over vast areas of the Pacific that the U.S. considers international waters, and reigniting old territorial disputes, including confrontations over the South China Sea. China's defense spending has increased threefold since the 1990s to about $160 billion last year, and its military has recently tested a new stealth jet fighter and launched its first aircraft carrier.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that the goal of the new security pact is to signal that the U.S. and Australia will stick together in face of any threats.

In addition to the expanded Marine presence in Australia, more U.S. aircraft will rotate through Australia as part of an agreement between each nation's air force. Mr. Obama and Gillard said the increased air presence would allow the U.S. and Australia to more effectively respond to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises in the region.

Rhodes said the U.S. military boost would amount to a "sustained U.S. presence." He distinguished that from a permanent presence in the sense that the U.S. forces will use Australian facilities, as opposed to the United States to building its own bases, as it has in such regional places as South Korea. The U.S. has not signaled any interest in that in Australia.

The only American base currently in Australia is the secretive joint Australia-U.S. intelligence and communications complex at Pine Gap in central Australia. But there are hundreds of U.S. service personnel in Australia on exchange.

Air combat units also use the expansive live bombing ranges in Australia's sparsely populated north in training rotations of a few months and occasionally naval units train off the coast. But training exercises involving ground forces are unusual.

During Wednesday's brief news conference, Mr. Obama and Gillard also fielded questions on a range of other issues, from U.S. efforts to address climate change to the debt crisis in Europe.

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[noloyalisti]

It's simple, the purpose of the US military has become only to defend the business interests of the giant US corporations and the greedy, evil rich who run them.

[peter_out]

Who does the President think he is kidding? He's gutless, but tries to put on a show. How does the President's rhetoric sound to China? Surely it must be antagonistic. I do not believe this is in the interest of the security of America.

Forward Deployment is a money pit. Any expenditure by the President must be taken out of the $2.1 Trillion the President has to work with in Revenue. The President has no budget in place contrary to the mandate in the Constitution, consequently we really don't know how he will pay for anything.

How does spending even more equate with cutting spending?

[Jaylah54]

Oh yes, we certainly need more military bases and military "presence" around the world.

I mean, it's not like this country is over our head in debt or anything.

[rationall7]

Why should we worry about China when the capatialist got Free Market status with them through our goverment, what up-side down short sided thinking in the name of profits will some day cost the 99% our lives and higher taxes.

[riptide213]

Australia is has earned their place in America's ever diminishing inner circle of very few authentic allies. Australia is a steadfast and trusted ally worthy of increased US interaction. Australia is one of the few nations that undeniably stand shoulder to shoulder with America come hell or high water, so yes the US must prudently evolve and stimulate viable military liaisons with genuine global foreign allies. US must stop acquiescing toward other "supposed" friendly allies who are simply antagonist nations offering lip service to perpetually drain defense and overseas aid budgets yet offer little tangible positives. Cut support for high investment, low return allies. Stop throwing good money into dubious countries that even publically state they will not back us push come to shove on critical issues. Shift proactive attention and capped US budget resources toward like minded, low investment, high return allies with mutual interest and aligned cultures like Australia for expanded 21st century military friendships we can really count on when going gets tough. Same amount or less of US tax money expended, more value for money gained. Good move CINC!

[formerusmcsgt1]

"...and that we have the presence that's necessary to maintain the security architecture in the region.'
---
I take this to be preparation for an expeditionary force that can re-establish governance in potential Pacific failed states - Fiji, for example - to deny terrorists an operations platform.

[anebt]

I had the same dream every single for over a year. It ended about a year ago, thank heaven. I dreaded going to sleep. China had drones or planes attack railway stations and power lines. We couldn't move anywhere. There was gray dust all over the air that stayed for months. For a while I saw Hillary Clinton in a camp handing out corn. Then she was gone. The economy was in shambles. We had become a third-rate economic power. Ghettos, shantytowns all over the place. Same dream every night for an entire year. Never understood the gray dust in the air.

[cbsblogger]

Give me a break! We should be focused like a laser on restoring the economic vitality of the USA and not on building more bases and expanding the military. We are going down the path of the decline of the Soviet Union because of this continued push for more military while the real economy goes to hxll. Obama is a shill owned by Wall St and the 1%.

[riddelup]

Officially the Pentagon counts 865 base sites, but this notoriously unreliable number omits all our bases in Iraq (likely over 100) and Afghanistan (80 and counting), among many other well-known and secretive bases. More than half a century after World War II and the Korean War, we still have 268 bases in Germany, 124 in Japan, and 87 in South Korea. Others are scattered around the globe in places like Aruba and Australia, Bulgaria and Bahrain, Colombia and Greece, Djibouti, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, and of course, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — just to name a few. Among the installations considered critical to our national security are a ski center in the Bavarian Alps, resorts in Seoul and Tokyo, and 234 golf courses the Pentagon runs worldwide.

[riddelup]

Officially the Pentagon counts 865 base sites, but this notoriously unreliable number omits all our bases in Iraq (likely over 100) and Afghanistan (80 and counting), among many other well-known and secretive bases. More than half a century after World War II and the Korean War, we still have 268 bases in Germany, 124 in Japan, and 87 in South Korea. Others are scattered around the globe in places like Aruba and Australia, Bulgaria and Bahrain, Colombia and Greece, Djibouti, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, and of course, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — just to name a few. Among the installations considered critical to our national security are a ski center in the Bavarian Alps, resorts in Seoul and Tokyo, and 234 golf courses the Pentagon runs worldwide.

[noloyalisti]

Is there any doubt that industrial war profiteers run the US military for profits?

Is there any doubt that the purpose of out military is to protect the international interests of the greedy, evil Top 1% of Americans?