The U.S. Marine Corps is conducting a major exercise in Australia as the U.S. military increases its military presence in the region amid increased tension with China.
According to CBS News, while approximately 200 U.S. Marines were first deployed in 2012 as part of a rotation in Australia’s Northern Territory, almost 2,500 Marines are now deployed to the country each year. The outlet noted that the U.S. military’s presence in Australia is now greater than at any other time since the end of World War II.
CBS News reported that the increased U.S. military presence in Australia comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping is believed to have directed the People’s Liberation Army to be prepared to potentially invade Taiwan by 2027.
CBS News shared a video on Thursday from an ongoing U.S. Marine Corps exercise in Australia that included both Australian and Japanese troops. The outlet noted that Australian troops are playing the role of enemy combatants as part of Exercise Southern Jackaroo.
According to CBS News, Exercise Southern Jackaroo involves over 500 Marines and more than 2,000 total troops and is being conducted in a region larger than the state of Maryland.
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Asked about the importance of America’s alliances with Australia and Japan, Major Nicholas Foust, the commander of the exercise in Australia with U.S. Marine Rotational Force-Dawin, told CBS News, “Knowing how one another works is of the utmost importance and being ready to respond is something critical.”
CBS News reported that while the United States and its allies are using the military exercise in Australia as a deterrent for Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, Brigadier Ben McLennan, commander of the Australian Defence Force’s 3rd Brigade, acknowledged that the military exercise is a “rehearsal” for a potential war.
“Every time you commit to an exercise like this, it is a rehearsal — and you treat it as your last opportunity to do so before war arrives,” McLennan told CBS News. “A rehearsal for a war the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Second World War.”
McLennan’s comments were echoed by Maj. Gen. Ash Collingburn, commander of Australia’s 1st Division.
“This exercise is more than just training, it is a rehearsal for the realities of war and a proving ground for partnerships,” Collingburn said. “Every patrol, every fire mission, every radio check between nations, and every shared hardship under the southern sun – it all matters.”
