The U.S. adds military footprint in Australia as tensions rise with China

Field Training Area, Townsville, Queensland, Australia – The United States is expanding its military presence in Northern Australia as it hopes to project power and pose a threat to China’s growing threat in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese President Xi Jinping is believed to order his armed forces to become Prepare for invasion If necessary, by 2027, Taiwan Island has sparked concerns about conflicts that may attract U.S. troops.

In response to Beijing’s expanded footprint in the region, the United States has seen Australia, a country located about two and a half miles away Chinaas a key strategic partner.

In 2012, the first deployment of approximately 200 U.S. Marines rotated in the country’s Northern Territory. Now, there are nearly 2500 per year. Since the end of World War II in 1945, the United States has the largest military presence.

CBS News has been given the opportunity to exercise in the U.S. Marine Corps, including the rugged and inland Australian and Japanese allies, as preparations are being made against Chinese aggression.

The exercise involved the Australian Army playing the role of enemy combatants attacking the U.S. Marine Corps row. The exercise was conducted by more than 500 U.S. Marines and more than 2,000 soldiers, a region larger than Maryland.

“Knowing each other’s work is paramount and being prepared to respond is crucial,” Major Nicholas Foster told CBS News with officials directing exercises with the U.S. Navy’s spinning force Darwin.

Military experts say China’s invasion of Taiwan is not inevitable and China may want to avoid war, especially in the United States, but China’s armed forces are experiencing unprecedented modernization – from aircraft carriers to treble missiles.

While the main goal of the United States and its allies in the region is to stop any potential Chinese aggression, Brigadier General Ben McLennan, commander of the Australian Defence Force 3rd Brigade, told CBS News that they are preparing for the worst outcome.

“Every time you do something like this, it’s a rehearsal, and you see it as the last chance to do so before the war,” he said. “The rehearsal of wars we’ve never seen since World War II.”