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The United States has expanded the number of locations in Australia—its key South Pacific ally—for naval vessels to reload weapons, sustaining combat power on the front line. According to a *Newsweek* map, the U.S. Navy has conducted and simulated “expeditionary reloads” of missiles at four sites in Australia with destroyers and submarines.
*Newsweek* has contacted Australia’s Department of Defense for comment by email.
**Why It Matters**
Australia is crucial for the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China’s growing military threat. The country hosts a U.S. Marine Corps rotational task force and will serve as a forward-deployed base for up to four U.S. nuclear-powered submarines starting in 2027.
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The U.S. Navy’s recent operations in the Red Sea, where its warships expended many missiles, highlight the need for frontline rearmament without diverting vessels to U.S. territories like Japan and Guam, which are vulnerable to China’s missile force capable of striking these facilities. Australia—over 2,500 miles from China—is a favorable location for naval rearmament in case of war.
**What To Know**
The U.S. Navy conducted a simulated expeditionary reload of a Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) on the destroyer USS *Higgins* near Townsville on Queensland’s northeastern coast on July 28, demonstrating “enhanced expeditionary logistics capabilities” essential for sustained operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
In 2023, USS *Rafael Peralta* was rearmed with an SM-2 missile in Eden, southeastern New South Wales, while its sister ship, USS *Dewey*, conducted a similar operation in Darwin, Northern Territory. In 2022, a pair of U.S. fast-attack submarines—USS *Mississippi* and USS *Springfield*—conducted weapons-handling exercises at HMAS Stirling naval base near Perth, Western Australia.
These exercises involved Royal Australian Navy assets ashore, showcasing increased submarine logistics and sustainment capabilities in Australia.
**What People Are Saying**
Rear Admiral Eric Anduze, commander of Task Force 70, said distributed logistics provide the U.S. Navy with agility to “strike from sea, move, reload, reposition, and strike again,” enhancing its operational readiness across the Indo-Pacific.
Naval analyst Alex Luck stated that an enhanced logistics footprint might serve to contain conflict as much as it appears a plausible target for hostile operations. He also noted that Canberra may have to consider negative ramifications of pursuing a more unilateral foreign policy approach in the region.
**What Happens Next**
As China has built a sophisticated anti-access and area-denial network aimed at preventing American vessels from entering certain areas, it remains to be seen how the U.S. will enhance its logistics support for naval operations in the Pacific.
