At remote ranges in northern Australia this summer, US Marines and Australian troops trained to guide US bombers to targets on far-flung islands, illustrating the Corps’ increasing focus on a potential war in the Pacific.

In August, Marines flew RQ-21A Blackjack drones in Australia for the first time as part of the month-long Exercise Loobye.

During the exercise, US B-1 bombers from Guam and B-2s out of Diego Garcia flew as far as 4,000 miles to the Delamere, Bradshaw, and Mount Bundley training areas in northern Australia, simulating long-range precision strikes. The bombers were supported by tankers flying out of Okinawa.

RQ-21s flew over the ranges to gather information before and after the airstrikes.

“We’ve done an awful lot with the US Marine Corps,” Houston said. “They basically are the only nation that really gets a chance to routinely mount an exercise invasion of Australia, and that relationship … has served us incredibly well.”

THE ninth rotation of US Marines has wrapped up training in the Northern Territory, with 2500 troops expected to pack up and return home this month.

Colonel David Banning, Commanding Officer of Marine Rotational Force Darwin (MRF-D), said the troops were now preparing to return to their home stations after months of training alongside the Australian Defence Force in the Top End.

“We’re going to be rocking up again next spring, heading back down here for the 10th anniversary.”

The contingent of Marines training in Australia has reached full strength for this year’s coronavirus-affected rotation after a final group of U.S. service members emerged from quarantine, according to the unit’s commander.

The rotational force, which has trained in Australia during the southern hemisphere’s winter months each year since 2012, has deployed just over 1,000 Marines this year, Banning said.

That’s fewer than the 1,200 the Marines had planned to rotate and well short of the 2,500 sent Down Under last year.

The mission was delayed two months by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced Marines to quarantine for two weeks after they arrive in Australia.

Only one Marine tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in Australia, according to Royal Australian Air Force Grp. Capt. Stewart Dowrie, who leads Australia’s Northern Command.

The US Marine who tested positive to COVID-19 remains in isolation at the Royal Darwin Hospital pending confirmation of a negative test result.

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A US marine has tested positive to coronavirus in Darwin.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the 21-year-old Marine arrived in the city a few days ago on a charter flight.

She said the Marine had very minimal contact with any residents after he travelled through the military side of Darwin airports to the Robinson barracks.

“The man has been in quarantine since his arrival in Darwin on 8 July,” NT chief minister, Michael Gunner told reporters.

All 32 cases of COVID-19 in the NT are related to international or interstate travel, with no cases of community transmission.