TOP End military bases are in a "sweet spot" beyond the range of Chinese missiles, according to a new report by a US think tank that explains more clearly than ever why Australia is considered crucial to a potential Asia-Pacific conflict. The official insistence is that US forces are rotating through Darwin to train. But the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says Australia "has been propelled into the very heart of this century's most crowded and dynamic geopolitical arena".

Yet another captive analyst spills the beans on the real reason for the growing foreign military presence in and around Darwin.