Mcleod, 27th March: While the world’s attention is focused on the Russia-Ukraine war, the US is increasing its Indo-Pacific contacts with Australia to discourage a “belligerent” China. The Pacific Air Forces revealed in a press release that a B-2 stealth bomber completed a mission in the region with five different fighter aircraft from the US Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force on March 23.

According to the eurasiantimes, A bomber from the United States Air Forces flew from Whiteman Air Force Facility in Missouri to the Royal Australian Air Force base in Amberley, Australia.  It was refueled in Australian airspace by an Alaska Air National Guard tanker before being integrated with eight fighter jets as part of the training exercises.

In recent years, the two countries’ defense cooperation has been principally motivated by the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region as a means of countering China’s regional influence. A diversified bilateral collaboration is certainly required to achieve this goal.

A massive US petroleum storage depot is being built in Australia’s Northern Territory to assist military action in the Indo-Pacific area, according to reports earlier this year. The $270 million projects will be the largest purpose-built gasoline storage facility in northern Australia, with a capacity of 300 million liters.

According to the Eurasian Times, the US chose to send more fighter jets to Australia in November last year, including F-22 Raptors and F-35s, to deter potential Chinese military action. As China’s military increases in size and power, Washington and Canberra’s collaboration will only intensify. As a result of China’s aggressive tone and expanding influence in the region, Australia’s anxieties about protecting its sovereignty and economic interests have grown.

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