Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has caned Australia for two-timing – becoming overly dependent on China as a trading partner while expecting Washington to defend from a Beijing that is becoming more aggressive in the region – militarily and territorially.

so, without calling the new co-located rotational joint facilities "bases", we hear that: 1. they were her idea 2. they're about war with China 3. there will be more 4. USA not yet satisfied that Australia's position is sufficiently servile.

A three-star has given the strongest assertion yet that more sailors will be heading Down Under. Sailors assigned to amphibious assault ships in 7th Fleet will be spending more time near Darwin, a port city on Australia’s northern shore, said Vice Adm. Scott Swift in a July 22 interview with Navy Times. The sailors will support the growing number of Marines training in the city. Greenside will need ships to transport them around and to practice amphibious landing techniques, Swift said.

what's the bet our far sighted and responsible federal political representatives have this all under control, and just decided to let us find out by way of foreign media ...? or is the unpublished agreement made by Obama and Gillard so wide ranging that something like this can be tacked on with no formal scrutiny?