The US military is considering a remote island in Australia as the next potential location for construction under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
Known as the Cocos Islands, the area sits west of the Australian mainland and is close to an Indian Ocean chokepoint for Chinese oil shipments.
According to a recently-published US Navy construction tender, the island can house infrastructure that would help improve Washington’s defense posture in the Indo-Pacific.
But it noted that the infrastructure may or may not directly support American forces stationed at RAAF Base Darwin in northern Australia.
Apart from the Cocos Islands, the US military listed the Philippines, Timor Leste, and Papua New Guinea for anticipated construction projects under the initiative.
‘Immense Geostrategic Advantages’
With a population of just 600, the Cocos Islands have been a key location for Canberra’s maritime surveillance operations in the Indian Ocean.
They will soon be the home to an expanded airfield that will carry heavier military aircraft such as the P-8A Poseidon.
For the US, the island holds “immense geostrategic advantages” considering that it is closer to the Strait of Malacca, a chokepoint for half of Beijing’s oil shipments, than the US Navy base of Diego Garcia.
It is also “much closer to the theater where Washington anticipates conflict scenarios,” according to Australia India Institute geopolitics director Darshana Baruah.
At present, the Australian Defence Force confirmed that the US has no investments yet in the Cocos Islands, though it is building bomber runways at two key air bases in northern Australia.
Pacific Deterrence Initiative
Modeled after the 2014 European Deterrence Initiative, the Pacific Deterrence Initiative aims to maintain a US military advantage over China.
It plans to earmark billions of dollars to modernize and strengthen the US presence in the region by undertaking construction projects and conducting military exercises.
The initiative also calls for improved cooperation with allies to prepare for a potential conflict with China.
The Australian Defence Force has already assured the US that it will cooperate closely “to advance our force posture” across various locations in Australia.