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Topic:Defence and National Security
The United States is expanding its shipment of military cargo to Australian ports. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)
The US Department of Defence has sought tenders for the handling of US military cargo in Australian ports.
In its tender solicitation, the shipping manifest of an existing contract has been expanded to include indefinite quantities of explosive cargo.
Further announcements on US-Australian military cooperation in coming months was flagged at a recent Defence industry summit in Darwin.
Subcontractors in at least four Australian ports will soon handle United States military cargo containing gases and radioactive material, as part of an expanded contract with the US government, the ABC can reveal.
The US Department of Defense is currently seeking tenders for port services in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria, where it expects "indefinite quantities" of explosives, aircraft, classified and general cargo to be unloaded from ships and onto trucks.
The tender solicitation issued by a US transportation battalion based in Yokohama, Japan, covers the handling of cargo shipped to and from Australia.
An Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesperson said shipments "were necessary to enable and support US exercises and activities in Australia".
US Army trucks have previously been shipped to the Port of Darwin for joint military exercises. (Supplied: US Army)
The ADF did not respond to questions about whether the cargo was also intended for Australian military use.
Similar shipments into Australian ports are currently handled by German company EMS Shipping and Trading, as part of a $3.1 million contract awarded in 2023.
But the US Military Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) says a new contract extending to 2030 will replace it.
The contract is currently valued at $346,500, however that amount isn’t finalised and is expected to increase.
In a statement to bidders, USTRANSCOM said additional payments would be made weekly via "task orders" throughout the life of the contract.
Twenty tonne containers of "explosives cargo" have been added to shipping manifests on the new contract, and in an attached statement to prospective contractors, USTRANSCOM said those containers "include gases, or radioactive".
USTRANSCOM said contractors would be expected to comply with US laws around the handling of ammunition and explosives, including "rockets, missiles, warheads and devices".
Defence Minister Richard Marles (centre) toured the Point Wilson wharf at its reopening in 2023. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)
The new contract will also expand arms shipments to the Point Wilson port, between Geelong and Melbourne, which in 2023 was flagged for "large-scale importation of guided weapons and explosive ordnance" according to the Australian Department of Defence.
The expansion of US arms shipments to other "secondary" Australian ports was also flagged, which USTRANSCOM said had not yet been identified, and would be separate to the 2025-2031 contract.
The USTRANSCOM tender says contractor employees could be screened for "indications of criminal, terrorism, or threat-related activity or alliances detrimental" to the US or Australian governments.
In a statement, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet says that there is "a robust regulatory system in place to manage risks to critical infrastructure" and that it "was not necessary to vary or cancel the lease".
However USTRANSCOM did not respond to questions over whether the Port of Darwin's leaseholder, Chinese company Landbridge, would be subject to these conditions.
In 2023, three months after the current contract for services at the Darwin Port was awarded, an Australian government review into Landbridge's lease found that "existing monitoring mechanisms are sufficient and will be ongoing."
Defence industry consultant Darian Macey said the contract "broadens the [US] strategic footprint" in Australia, by adding more dangerous cargo and expanding arms shipments to Victoria's Point Wilson port.
Darian Macey says the new contract signals greater US military "posture" in the Indo-Pacific region. (ABC: Dane Hirst)
"While the contract itself doesn't specify end use, the inclusion of high-risk cargo types and expanded port access is consistent with broader trends we're seeing under AUKUS and allied posture initiatives," he said.
Mr Macey said the contract signalled "a maturing [US] posture in the region" that could support rapid deployments throughout the Indo-Pacific.
"Australia and the Indo-Pacific region is a theatre to the American military planners," he said.
"Having those assets in theatre means that they can respond more rapidly, than if they had to bring those assets across from their home country."
Brigadier Mick Say said expanded logistics networks were a key focus of US military efforts in the region. (ABC: Pete Garnish )
The Australian Department of Defence's Brigadier Mick Say told the recent Northern Australia Defence Summit that the pre-positioning of US military equipment in Australia had been "enabled" by the 2014 US Force Posture Agreement.
He flagged a potential expansion in US Force Posture efforts after high-level ministerial talks between Canberra and Washington later this year.
"That will lead to a number of other announcements, once agreed to by governments, in regards to the next steps of the Force Posture activities within Australia," he said.
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US military to export 'high risk' explosives to Australian ports amid arms expansion – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
