While bureaucrats bicker over defence funding in Canberra, the US Marine Corps is getting into the weeds of how the next conflict will play out by testing their ability to deploy from Darwin.

The US Marine Corps claims their Darwin-based troops have achieved a major training objective set out by their superiors in D.C. – with one senior commander saying the accomplishment “will echo for years to come”.

According to a MRF-D spokesman, the challenge started in Camp Pendleton, California, before the rotation flew for Darwin.

En route, the rotation was split, with some troops taking to the Australian bush, while the remainder scattered throughout the archipelago to the north, including the Philippines, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.

With multiple callsigns split across various countries, the greatest distance recorded between two Marines of the same unit was 4800 kilometres.

The Coalition frontbencher is also urging the Labor government explain what role Australia might play backing US combat operations launched from this country. 

"if we're going to have this close friendship going forward, it's really important to understand exactly what that means."

Set against the backdrop of growing regional tension, major work is being carried out to defence facilities across Australia and a significant portion falls under the umbrella of the US Force Posture Initiative.

The most recent additions to the overarching USFPI occurred in 2023 with the signing of an Enhanced Space Cooperation agreement, together with a commitment to conducting more regular and longer-duration visits of US Navy nuclear submarines, and increased rotations of US Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

Looking to the future, the most recent round of bilateral discussions (AUSMIN 24) agreed to progress the redevelopment of northern air bases – primarily Darwin and Tindal – but to begin scoping the RAAF’s bare bases across the north of the country in the form of RAAF Curtin and Learmonth in Western Australia, and Scherger in Queensland.

The upcoming AUSMIN 25 dialogue will further outline steps to enhance the FPI and grow the defence infrastructure footprint across the country. It will lead to a number of announcements in regard to the next steps in force posture activities within Australia.

A US nuclear-powered submarine has pulled into Darwin Harbour, with authorities keeping the high-value vessel under close wraps from the public eye.

On Thursday morning, the USS Minnesota, escorted by a couple of tug boats, was seen passing through Darwin Harbour towards East Arm.

It is understood the USS Minnesota cruised to northern Australia directly from Perth, where it was docked at HMAS Stirling last month.

Last week, the NT Government issued a ‘notice to mariners’, warning local boaties the waters surrounding East Arm Wharf would be closed due to a joint US navy and ADF operation which runs until April 3.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has hosted his US and Japanese counterparts in Darwin for trilateral discussions on increased military cooperation.

Japanese troops will begin regular deployments in northern Australia as part of military cooperation between the three countries, Mr Marles announced on Sunday.

"Today we are announcing that there will be regular deployments of Japan's amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to Australia," Mr Marles said at a televised press conference in Darwin.