The US military is preparing for a potential conflict with China by storing supplies in Australia
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When US and Australian troops practised amphibious landings, ground combat and air operations last year, they drew headlines about the allies deepening defence cooperation to counter China’s growing military ambitions.
But for US war planners preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan, the high-profile Talisman Sabre exercises had a far more discrete value: they helped create new stockpiles of military equipment that were established in Australia after the drills ended in August, US officials said.
The US and its allies are increasingly worried that in the coming years the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, could order his military to seize Taiwan, the democratically governed island China considers its own territory. So, the US military is taking a hard look at its own military readiness and trying to play catch-up in a critical area: its logistics network.
The equipment from Talisman Sabre included roughly 330 vehicles and trailers and 130 containers in warehouses in Bandiana, in north-east Victoria, the Army says.
The amount of equipment, which the US military has not previously acknowledged, is enough to supply about three logistics companies, with as many as 500 or more soldiers.
It’s the kind of materiel that’s needed for a future drill, a natural disaster, or in a war.
US war games have concluded that China would probably try to bomb jet fuel supplies or refuelling ships, crippling US air and sea power without having to battle heavily armed fighter jets or sink America’s fleet of surface warships, according to current and former officials and experts.
In response, the US is trying to spread its military logistics hubs across the region – including warehouses in Australia, officials said.
The US has not formally said it would intervene if China were to attack Taiwan but the president, Joe Biden, has repeatedly suggested he would deploy US troops to defend the island.
Xi has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, US officials say, but many analysts see that as an attempt to galvanise his military rather than a timeline for invasion.
A file photo of amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit during Talisman Sabre exercise. Talisman Sabre is a bilateral exercise intended to train Australian and U.S. forces in planning and conducting combined task force operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications 3rd Class David A. Cox)
