Lieutenant General George Smith, Commanding General of I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), visited the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) on June 7 - 8.

After ten years of Marine Corps rotations through the Northern Territory, I MEF now serves as the higher headquarters for the MRF-D, and will continue to provide the balance of Marines and Sailors in the coming years. Like the 2022 rotation, I MEF will continue to send standing regimental headquarters to serve as the MAGTF’s command element. This change, as well as several other refinements to the deployed force structure, increased the ability of MRF-D to integrate with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and other shared regional partners.

" MRF-D is, and must continue to be postured to facilitate operations from humanitarian assistance to high-intensity combat in the region, in support of our allied and partnered nations. A large part of that readiness is nested within the training environment here in the Northern Territory and relationship with the ADF, particularly with 1st Brigade."

The US Marine Corp says this year's deployment to Darwin is the most "combat-credible" group sent yet, as the troops complete a week of intense training on the remote Tiwi Islands.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Dr John Coyne said the increased US presence in northern Australia signalled the region's strategic importance to both countries.

"There's clear evidence the US government is going to invest more in ensuring that supply chains [and] defence logistics facilities are present in northern Australia and ready to support a range of contingencies," he said.

"Forward deployment in Darwin and northern Australia really provides proximity to the region, it provides a capacity [for the US] to leapfrog operations," Dr Coyne said.

"It provides the US military with a forward operating base from which it can launch into the region."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz-tob0Gqtg

A USA Marine will face court over allegations of assaulting a woman at a popular nightclub in Darwin.

A Marine Rotation Force Darwin spokesman confirmed that a marine stationed from their unit had received a notice from police to appear in court regarding an incident last month.

NT Police confirmed a Darwin woman was assaulted at a popular nightclub, the Landmark Hotel on Roystonea Ave on April 30.

It is understood CCTV captured footage of the alleged incident.

“We are working diligently to determine the facts in this situation, and are complying with all orders, policies, and agencies involved,” the MRF-D spokesman said.

On Tuesday NT Police issued a man with a notice to appear in court for the alleged indecent assault. He will appear in Darwin Local Court on June 16.

The 21-year-old man will face court after being charged over an alleged incident at a bar outside of Darwin.

Northern Territory Police said a 21-year-old man had been issued a notice to appear on Tuesday, following the alleged incident in Palmerston on April 30.

It is unclear if the Marine has been stood down over the allegations.

“MRF-D takes allegations of misconduct seriously and we hold our Marines and Sailors to the highest standards of conduct."

Hundreds of U.S. Marines and sailors, Australian soldiers and Japanese Self-Defense Force members are conducting a major warfighting exercise in Australia.

Shoalwater Bay, where the training is taking place, is an arena for the biennial Talisman Sabre exercise, which involved 17,000 U.S., Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, South Korean and British troops last summer.

Australian politicians reacted with alarm earlier this month after revelations that the Solomon Islands, 1,200 miles northeast of Shoalwater, was negotiating a security pact with China.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused to say how his government might respond if China attempted to establish a military base in the islands.

The exercise has taken place each year since 2015.