U.S. to test weapons in Australia
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australia's defense alliance with the United States may soon reach a new level with plans for the Pentagon to test new-generation weapons, including smart bombs, Down Under.
News reports in Australia Friday said Canberra and Washington were working on a defense training agreement which included multi-million dollar upgrades of Australian defense facilities and the weapons testing.
Australia and the U.S. have been developing ever closer militiary ties in the past decade under the auspices of the ANZUS defense treaty which was developed more than 50 years ago.
Former ANZUS treaty adviser Professor Ross Babbage, who has just returned from defense briefings in the U.S., told the Queensland state-based Courier-Mail newspaper that new fighting tactics and cutting-edge communications would be tested in Australia.
There also would be experimentation with self-guided smart bombs and live or "dummy" bombing raids into Australia from U.S. aircraft carriers, he said.
"A joint training center would be built to link Australian and U.S. forces and provide real-time battlefield assessments," Professor Babbage said.
Australia and the U.S. have a close military alliance and conduct frequent, large-scale joint military exercises.
Australian defense forces have also been involved closely with U.S. military operations in both Iraq wars, in Afghanistan and in the U.S.-led WMD interdiction exercises.
Prime Minister John Howard's conservative coalition government has also joined the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter program to develop a new-generation fighter aircraft and has committed to playing a role in the controversial U.S. missile defense shield project.
Professor Babbage said the latest program would place Australia among the highest-priority training grounds for the U.S. in the world and send a strong message of U.S. support for Australia throughout the region.
"We are making it very clear that when push comes to shove, Australia and the U.S. governments operate very closely together," he said.
He said the Howard Government could be expected to launch another round of briefings for Asian-Pacific countries -- including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Papua New Guinea -- to ease regional concerns over the latest developments.
