Talisman Saber and the US Army reinforce themselves

Considered as the strategy of the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, the military method used is a special operation of the US Navy, which consists of "landing amphibious troops on islands to capture and capture them as part of a projection into before the sea and air power directed to the mainland.

This particular description comes from Bevan Ramsden, an active member of the coordinating committee of IPAN, the independent and peaceful network of Australia. IPAN is deeply concerned about what it rightly sees as an enthusiastic and turbulent buildup of US military forces mainly in the Northern Territory and across the continent and along the coast.

The Australian Department of Defense adds to Ramsden's overview of a discussion on the US-Australian military exercise Talisman Saber, held since 2007. "The TS19 will be the eighth edition of the exercise. This will be a field training exercise involving force preparation activities (logistics), amphibious landings, land force maneuvers, urban operations, air operations, maritime operations, and operations. activities of special forces. "

On this occasion, Talisman Saber added a new addition: the 1^st On July 16, the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, which joined Australian, American and British forces, landed on the beach, commanding Australian General Justin "Jake" Ellwood. And it turned out that it was about 34,000 men, 200 aircraft and 60 warships.

What the Australian Defense Forces can not fear is that they remain, ultimately, an annex to the American military machine. In a headquarters report, the Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) in April, recognizes that TS19 is "focused on improving the preparedness and interoperability of ADF Defense elements and on the exposure participants in a wide range of military capabilities and training experiences. "It is presumed, and never disputed, that such exercises are" at the service of Australia's national interests ", raising the question of whether a state should ever be so interoperable with foreign military forces.

The American imperium wanted, using Australian facilities, to test the EABO in scenarios that envisaged a concept of seizure of islands and, to use the words of the US Marines official website, "distribute lethality by offering land options to increase the number of casualties. sensors and shooters beyond the upper limit imposed by the number of navigation platforms available. The integration of the Marines into the wider operations of the US Navy is an essential feature of this movement. This would prevent access to enemy ships and aircraft, making it a clear target: any power wishing to challenge American power in the Pacific. As James Lacey, a teacher at Marine Corps War College suggests, "the Marines will ensure that the US Navy retains its freedom of maneuver in the Pacific, while reducing China's ability to go far beyond its coastal values. ". What a beautiful confrontation to come that promises to be.

The TS19 show was also an exhibition of military plumage and provocation. US Navy Col. Matthew Sieber clearly explained the purpose: "to leave after strengthening this relationship [between participants] and demonstrate to our future partners or adversaries the strength of this alliance. "

The scale of TS19 has proven to be heavy, comprising entire parts of the country. An important feature of this operation is not to scare the inhabitants, who may be put off by the magnitude of the situation. For example, do not give the impression that they live under the cloud of occupation. "Welcome," happily opens on the Australian Defense Department's news site, where "you'll learn more about TS19, the importance of this exercise to prepare the military, how we engage the community." and protect the environment. "

The Ministry of Defense leaves us with this impression of movement and deployment across the country and, even in this case, strives to make the monster harmless: "Large convoys will circulate on the roads from June to August 2019; Australian, American and all Australian military vehicles converging on Rockhampton and the Shoalwater Bay area. "

To rebadure environmental activists and residents, TS19 emphasizes the lack of "real fire activities", which is perceived as a clear improvement. In other words, no detonations or underwater demolitions, naval guns and aerial bombardments; instead, dummy ammunition would be used, with additional pyrotechnics to give effect. But as Friends of the Earth Australia pointed out in May, this would not be the case at Shoalwater Bay, nor at various activities that preceded or followed activities. These "are not evaluated as part of Talisman Saber because they do not respect the official dates of the exercise".

Even since Talisman Saber has become a regular feature of joint US-Australian operations, nervousness in activist circles has increased. For example, what should neighbors think of these demonstrations of force? The Chinese People's Liberation Army, for example, was keen to monitor the activities of the TS19 with a general intelligence vessel, known as the Type 815. This performance was repeated in 2017, when an AGI Type 815 also monitored the Talisman Saber exercises. .

More generally, the demonstrations against the US Army Down Under remain meager, the resistance efforts being limited to awareness conferences. Washington's last word is the promise to build more than $ 250,000 worth of naval facilities in Darwin and surrounding areas, an initiative that is more than just an alarm. In 2015, for example, Justin Tutty took a solitary position ahead of Lee Point in Darwin, a modest effort that led to his arrest. Two other protesters went to Shoalwater Bay's actual shooting range in a disruptive effort. This year, IPAN intends to hold a national public conference in Darwin from August 2nd to 4th on the theme "Australia at a Crossroads: It's Time to Get There" 39, an independent foreign policy. This promises few converts, given the continuing presence of worshipers at such meetings.

The spectator element of such exercises, weak individuals at the knee level evoked by power demonstrations, is more common and more voyeuristic. Prepare your lounge chairs and chilled chardonnay and watch the session unfold. That's at least what the owners of Stanage Bay's beach grounds, Ivonne and Fred Burns have been able to see. To quote Ivonne Burns, "It's amazing to look at all of this … to see all this unfold before your eyes, in your own backyard". Or no, if Washington's adventurism gets out of control, leaving Australia with more than a bloody nose.

Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College in Cambridge. He teaches at RMIT University in Melbourne. E-mail: [email protected]