US military plans permanent war-ready weapons stockpile in Australia

The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia’s southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, according to tender documents and officials.The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, came as the US was keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts said.The US Marine Corps began global pre-positioning of military supplies during the Cold War – using floating stores on ships and caves in Norway where weapons, ammunition and vehicles to sustain thousands of troops are kept.