The 22-year-old marine who arrived in the Northern Territory earlier this week is part of the annual training rotation that will see thousands of marines fly into Darwin this year.

[unironically] - more to come.

The head of the US Navy's Indo-Pacific Command is urging Congress to build a new missile defence base in the Pacific as part of a larger strategy to counter China's military threat to the region.

The Pentagon is seeking $US77 million ($98 million) to build a permanent "land-based integrated air and missile defence system and associated weapon delivery system on Guam", as outlined in the Indo-Pacific Deterrence Act.

In addition to the defence system, which is designed to track down and destroy missiles before they do harm, the US is considering an increase to its ground-based missiles on Guam that could fire on targets over 500 kilometres away.

Almost a third of Guam's land is controlled by the US military, and Ms McManus fears its presence is destroying the island's natural environment.

A BATCH of 200 US Marines is due to arrive in Darwin this week as part of annual military exercise Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.

Defence confirmed the second tranche of US Marines would undertake two weeks of quarantine at RAAF Base Darwin.

The four subsequent batches of US Marines will quarantine at former immigration detention centre Bladin Point, now known as Bladin Village. Defence confirmed only one US Marine in the first tranche of arrivals tested positive for COVID-19.

A total of 2200 US Marines have been deployed to Darwin as part of MRF-D.

A US Marine who arrived in the Territory as part of the first tranche of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin has tested positive for coronavirus.

The 21-year-old man, who arrived on an international flight to the Northern Territory on Thursday, February 11, tested positive to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

The man is asymptomatic and has been moved from quarantine to Royal Darwin Hospital, in line with established procedures.

The Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet said that “due to strict quarantine measures in place for all arriving Marines”, the case was “promptly detected” and the Marine “had no direct contact with the general community”.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 104 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the NT, including 65 from international repatriation flights.

A 21-year-old member of the US Marine Corps is taken to hospital after returning a positive coronavirus test. It comes ahead of a military training exercise that will see thousands of military personnel rotate through Darwin by June.

Health authorities say the man was among the first group of about 200 marines to arrive, with soldiers touching down in Darwin on Thursday before entering quarantine at RAAF Base Darwin.

He is asymptomatic but will remain at the Royal Darwin Hospital until he recovers.

While the first two groups of marines will undertake their fortnight of quarantine in accommodation on Defence bases, further groups will be taken to Bladin Village, a privately owned former detention centre outside of Darwin.