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.

Lt. Gen. Kenneth Glueck, commanding general, III Marine Expeditionary Force, visited Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, here, May 28. His two-day visit consisted of speaking to Marines about the MRF-D initiative at a brief, touring surrounding Australian military facilities and eating lunch with sergeants and below.
and here's some predictable nonsense about humanitarian response:
“It’s all about being forward deployed and being able to meet the crisis response like we did in Operation Tamagotchi. We responded within 18 hours,” added Glueck. “They will never forget what the Marines brought to that area and how fast we responded.”

the article linked here: http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/is-u-s-military-relief-effort-operation-tomodachi-really-about-friendship suggests a different legacy of Tamagotchi.
Apparently the Japanese got billed for an imposed visit by the U..S. Marine Corps’ Chemical Biological Incident Response Force that went to Japan only for show, and didnt ever go to Fukushima.