The Biden Administration will likely be "focussed on national securities," meaning Australia may have to make harder choices in the defence space, according to the Lowy Institute’s Richard McGregor.

“Trump was focussed on trade,” Mr McGregor told Sky News. “The Biden Administration might be much more focussed on national securities.

“That might mean harder choices for us in the defence space.”

Mr McGregor said this may mean the US would expect Australia to look at things including “intermediate range missiles” and the possible placement of “more Marines in Darwin”

“They might like us to do greater naval exercises in the South China Sea,” he said. “I think they’re going to expect us to step up as a strong ally.”

As tensions between the US and China continue to simmer, researchers say the Biden administration could put a strategic spotlight directly on the NT's capital, given its proximity to Asia.

"There will probably be a rotational agreement like what we see with the Marines and the Air Force, but with some US Navy warships," Mr Thomas-Noone told ABC Radio Darwin.

Professor John Blaxland, of ANU's Defence Studies Centre, said Darwin would "likely see considerable additional attention in the coming weeks and years".

He said with the new administration "likely to continue to apply pressure on China" and come looking to Australia for additional help, it may be the Top End city that answers the call.

"Darwin's going to be more on the crosshairs than it has been for some time now," Professor Blaxland said.

THE United States’ combat logistics support agency is moving on plans for a multimillion dollar fuel farm facility in Darwin for its fighter jets and warships.

The fuel reserve is being established in Darwin to ensure US war machines are not left stranded if fuel supply lines are disrupted.

DLA Energy is seeking information on “industry capabilities/interest/potential sources for the receipt, storage, and issue 1.2 million barrels of aviation turbine fuel, grade JP5 (fill capacity), and 700,000 barrels of commercial jet fuel, grade jet A-1 (fill capacity), in the Port of Darwin, Australia.”

It also seeks information from interested companies on their service capabilities for receiving and shipping US government-owned product via an ocean-going tanker or barge on a 24-hour per day, seven-day per week basis.

The Department of Defence has been busy denying that it may develop a naval port at Glyde Point, 40km northeast of Darwin. It doesn’t deny that the territory government may be encouraged to build one itself. Wink, wink.

If Australia is keen to ensure that the US remains engaged in the region (and dedicated to Australia’s defence), nothing says commitment like infrastructure.

The most attractive feature of building a naval port at Glyde Point may be its future use by the RAN itself. China has announced plans to build a “fishery industrial park” at Daru on the south coast of Papua New Guinea. With no fish in the water but Australia within sight, the planned facility presumably is aimed at threatening the Torres Strait.

"no American ally is potentially more important than"

When Australia negotiated the US Marine Corps’ ‘rotational presence’ operating out of Darwin, the plan agreed with Barack Obama in 2010 was ultimately to locate some major US warships at the Australian navy base HMAS Stirling, near Perth.

The NT government has suitable locations for large- scale development of the type needed. And if the federal government was willing also to bear some of the cost of hosting these ships, the proposal becomes more compelling.

first clp leader to ever lose an election says WAT?