Herald and Weekly Times, AUSTRALIA is set to become a crucial staging point for a new United States sphere of influence, stretching from India to Japan.
But a Pentagon proposal to establish US supply and air bases in Australia's north has angered Indonesia.
The United States has briefed the Howard Government on a new strategic plan that could make Australia more important than ever in Washington's eyes.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld outlined the plan to Defence Minister Robert Hill during a Washington visit last week.
An influential group of pro-American bureaucrats has been pushing for closer ties to the US. The group was founded by Michael Cook, now retired, who once headed the Office of National Assessments, and now includes the ambassador to Washington, Michael Thawley, and Andrew Shearer, a former adviser to Senator Hill.
Top-level Pentagon documents obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun show the US wants to carve out a new area of interest in Asia, from Japan to India. Australia lies in the geographic middle of this area, which raises the possibility that the US would need a base in the country's north.
There has been speculation that the US might establish a tank or military supply base in Darwin, as well as airfields for its B1 and B2 bombers.
Officially, Indonesia's vice-consul in Darwin, Arif Soepalal, said Jakarta did not have a formal position on a US base.
But Indonesian sources have indicated privately that Jakarta would be unhappy with any attempt to build such a base in Darwin.
“Why would Australia need an American base?” one source asked.
US power in Asia is concentrated in South Korea and Okinawa, Japan.
The US wants to project its power further across to South Asia to counter potential rogue states that have weapons of mass destruction.
“The distances are vast in the Asian theatre,” the Pentagon report said.
The Pentagon is concerned about a shortfall of bases, and has put a “premium” on getting new toeholds.
Mr Rumsfeld's new plan highlights concern about China's growing power.
“The possibility exists that a military competitor with a formidable resource base will emerge in the region,” the Pentagon paper said.
“The East Asian littoral — from the Bay of Bengal to the Sea of Japan — represents a particularly challenging area.”
Mr Rumsfeld told Senator Hill the review of where US forces should be placed in Asia had not been finalised. But he did not discuss bases or the pre-positioning of supplies with Senator Hill.
The former director of Canberra's alliance relations with Washington, Dr Ron Huisken, said the Pentagon developed the plan just before the September 11 attacks.
He said it had “remained buried” since then because of the war on terror. Dr Huisken, now a fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in Canberra, said the US wanted to influence the region more directly.
In the past, Australia was too far away from North Asia for the US to establish a base here.
“But now there seems to be a stronger US interest in expanded access to Australia for its armed forces,” he said.
That was unlikely to include the permanent basing of ground troops.
In 1996, Australia had offered the opportunity for more joint training exercises here and the Howard Government had indicated it would be ready to discuss the pre-positioning of military equipment.
