LOL Lurker!
C'mon down here to the Louisiana swamps. We've got water moccasins, eastern rattlesnakes, copperheads, coral snakes, alligators, and even black bears.
We'll show you a real good time!
Posted on 06/18/2006 8:07:33 PM PDT by naturalman1975
Prime Minister John Howard said today he would warmly welcome the establishment of American military bases in northern Australia.
The Financial Review reported that two joint Australia-United States bases, designed for military training and as forward camps, would be established at Bradshaw in the Northern Territory and Yampi Sound in Western Australia.
Mr Howard did not confirm the details but said the government would welcome the American presence.
"We made an announcement some time ago ... to the effect that we were going to expand the capacity for training and operations exercises ... in northern Australia for Americans," he said.
"Whether you describe that as bases or not, I don't know.
"Can I say very openly that the notion of that sort of thing occurring in Australia ... involving American forces is not something that I would other than very warmly welcome."
Mr Howard said he expected the public and the states would support such operations, which would generate substantial income.
"As far as I'm concerned, subject always to the proper arrangements to fully respect and maintain and continue to observe Australian sovereignty, the notion of bases or operational facilities or training facilities by Americans is something I would warmly welcome," he said.
"My understanding is that all the Americans want at the present time is to have a capacity to train.
"I don't have any difficulty with that and I imagine it would be quite warmly supported by the Australian public."
God bless Howard. We have lost a few allies because of elections (Aznar from Spain and Italy's Berlusoni) but Howard keeps on ticking. We need a presence in SE Asia to keep track of Indonesia-a potential problem.
I suppose if we were to have foreign troops training on American soil, The Australians, British and Poles would be on the short list. I don't include Canadians because they're right here anyway.
we have had foreign military training here for decades. I remember seeing a lot of Germans at FT BLISS TX back in the early 80's
Only if we make sure they don't see Yampi Sound before they enlist.
There's lot of nice places in Australia - Yampi Sound though is great for a training base because there's nothing there to distract anyone.
Yes, but saltwater crocodiles are unpleasant. One would need to "de-crocodite" the place. Or maybe they could be trained and then let loose on the enemy.
Literally everything in Australia can kill you. The spiders, the snakes, the jellyfish, the sharks. Hell they even have an octopus that's the size of your thumb which has a bite that can be lethal.
No offense intended to our Australian friends but they're a pretty tough breed to have conquered a land that's just chock full of critters known to be lethal to humans.
I'd think good and hard before I asked to be posted to Australia.
L
That's a pretty fair description of the flora and fauna of Texas, too. :D
"I believe there is still a large unit of Germans training up in Alamogordo."
They train here all the time. When I was stationed at NAS Alameda way back in 69' we had Brazilians training there.
"Literally everything in Australia can kill you. The spiders, the snakes, the jellyfish, the sharks."
And we have Cottenmouths, Rattlers, Copperheads, Coral snakes, Aligators, Sharks, jellyfish, Bears, Mountain lions, Brown recluse and Black Widow spiders, oh, don't forget Hela Monsters and Scorpions. Life can be dangerous anywhere. You just have to be apporpriately jumpy and paranoid to survive.
I would also like to see the establishment of a large air base that could handle our largest bombers cargo and transport aircraft so we can keep china honest.
I can hear it now... "But..but..but what about the fragile ecosystem? Do we want to drop bombs on little butterflies?"
You just have to be apporpriately jumpy and paranoid to survive.
Hark! Is that a new tagline?
Flip-Flop-Flap Kerry won't go for it unless France is on the same boat
Yeah... but their women. Rrrowr!
L
We have a lot of plants around here that'll kill ya. The only things that are benign are the Tarantulas.
Northern Australia - not too far from the militant Islamists in Indonesia. An excellent place to "train"!
Oh, it won't stay that way for very long at all if a base installation gets built.
So, it sounds like you've been to NTC or 29 Palms in the Mojave desert, or to Fort Greely, Alaska when it was operational as an Army post, how about White Sands? Yeah, Australia would be right up there with most places that are considered desolate. Frankly, home is where ever the Military sends us. I'd be game to go! Nice vacation spots close by that I'd otherwise never get too.
'I suppose if we were to have foreign troops training on American soil, '
Don't know about the others, but there are lots of British forces all over the US, here's just one unit:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/02/wpred02.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/02/ixnews.html
I think their air force still has a permanent training base there. Airspace is in pretty tight supply in Western Europe, not so much in the Great American West.
Here we go:
On 1 May 1996, the German Air Force Tactical Training Center was established in concept with the 20th Fighter Squadron which provides aircrew training in the F-4F Phantom II. The TTC serves as the parent command for two German air crew training squadrons. The F-4 Training Squadron oversees all German F-4 student personal affairs, and provides German instructor pilots to cooperate in the contracted F-4 training program provided by the US Air Force (20th Fighter Squadron). A second TTC unit, the Tornado Training Squadron, provides academic and tactical flying training, by German Air Force instructors, for German Tornado aircrews. The first contingent of Tornado aircraft arrived at Holloman in March 1996. More than 300 German Air Force members are permanently assigned at Holloman to the TTC--the only unit of its kind in the United States. The German Air Force selected Holloman as an additional training site for its Tornado aircraft, and construction facilitated the maintenance and troubleshooting of the aircraft and related weapons systems. When the second phase was completed 2000, 30 more Tornado aircraft were stationed here, bringing the total to 42.
The Tactical Training Center was redesignated the German Air Force Flying Training Center July 1, 1999 in conjunction with its growing mission, and officially activate on March 31, 2000. All expenses involved in the Tornado and F-4 programs, including more than $140 million in construction, are paid by the German government. There are no specific costs to US taxpayers associated with either of these programs. All flying operations are subject to the control of Holloman’s host US Air Force commander and are subject to all applicable Air Force and federal regulations and statutes. All activity in military airspace and ranges is controlled by the appropriate US authority for those areas. In addition, while in the US , all German military personnel are subject to the laws of the US Government.
from here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/holloman.htm
We already have something there. An Army guy I know was stationed there for about a year. His folks went down for a visit.
Jeez what's up with you guys and Indonesia? Last time I checked there were a heck of a lot more Islamist terrorists in Thailand and the Philippines than in Indonesia. Actually the Indonesians have whacked a few of the top Jemah Islamiah guys in recent months something which the Thais and Filipinos have shown a marked inability to do.
Indonesia is actually very friendly towards the US, it certainly was under Suharto, remember he singlehandedly wiped out the Indonesian communists in six months which is more than can be said for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia despite the enormous amount of blood and treasure invested by the US. The current president, Susilo Bambang Yudyhono is US educated, a former general and very pro-democracy (well he would be as he got the job by being elected) he has close links with the Aussies and the Yanks and is happy to develop them further.
The constitution of Indonesia is a secular one which respects religious freedom, not bad for a nation which has the biggest Muslim population in the world. I'd say there are more terrorist supporters in the campuses and newsrooms of the US than among the ordinary people of Indonesia.
Research the country a bit more guys before you automatically demonise it as some form of lurking menace. I assure you Indonesia could be one of America's best friends in the region. If you don't believe me ask Paul Wolfowitz, he was an extremely popular US ambassador to Indonesia and has always been proud to regard himself as a friend of Indonesia.
Yet.
We do have foreign troops training on U.S. soil. Ever hear of the "Lone Star Luftwaffe?"
An excellent idea!
My grandfather went to Australia to join up with the 41st Division/163rd Infantry as a replacement during WWII (he turned 18 after the war began). He then went on to New Guinea and the Phillipines as one of MacArthur's boys before going to Japan after they surrendered.
The Aussie troops fought alongside our guys and they were a big part of what happened. They are our friends and our brothers. This news of additional US bases in Oz is great news.
I guess I should have used the term "based on American soil" so I won't spend the next few days getting corrected with info I already know.
It's not your fault or anything, I just wasn't very specific in my comment.
I realize that the past and current leaders are very pro U.S....but so was the Shah of Iran. Events can turn things around quickly.
West Papua was part of the Dutch East Indies and the Indonesians always claimed it as part of the Republic, there most certainly is no intention whatsoever on the part of the Indonesian government to try and claim PNG. That country is a complete basket case and the Indonesians are happy to let the Aussies sort it out. East Timor was in the middle of a civil war after the Portuguese left (a civil war which has been latent in East Timor for years as witnessed by last month's shenanigans). The communists were on the brink of siezing power there when the Indonesians intervened, they intervened with the full support of the Australian and American governments. The crush Malaysia campaign was a product of Sukharno's idiocy and was brought to a swift conclusion when Suharto took power.
I really don't understand the visceral hatred so many people have of Indonesia, on the whole it is an unimportant, not very wealthy, non-descript country in SE Asia yet it attracts atagonism in a way that really malevolent countries like Pakistan, Burma, North Korea, Vietnam never do.
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