As B52s find new home in Darwin, Kennedy talks up Pacific peace
The US ambassador says Washington and Canberra need to continue to work together to maintain peace as tensions heighten in the Pacific.
U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress Bombers arrive at RAAF Base Darwin to train with the Royal Australian Air Force as part of Enhanced Air Cooperation (EAC). (AAP Image/Department of Defence, Royal Australian Air Force, CPL Terry Hartin)
Caroline Kennedy said on Monday the two nations had worked together for decades to support a rules-based order that’s lifted millions out of poverty by supporting peace and stability in the region.
Kennedy said continued peace in the Indo-Pacific needed to be underpinned by a mix of diplomacy and deterrence.
“That’s what we’re going to continue to do,” she told the ABC.
‘We’ll work with our partners and allies to make this safe.”
Australia and the US have agreed to work together on projects in the Northern Territory and build a facility capable of housing six B-52 bombers and other aircraft.
The initiative is currently in the design phase.
The two nations are also working together to upgrade airfields, fuel storage facilities, accommodation and training areas.
“America doesn’t have a stronger, closer ally. I see that every day as I go around,” Kennedy said.
US bombers have visited Australia since the early 1980s and have conducted training missions since 2005.
