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WA Premier Roger Cook says HMAS Stirling will not be a US military base despite media reports that more than double the number of Americans would be deployed to the facility than previously declared.
Earlier this week, The Australian published a story saying the US has established the administrative framework for a military base in WA, amid revelations 2300 Americans will be deployed to the state to support “enduring” submarine deployments to the defence facility south of Perth.
However, Cook has backed the stance of the Albanese government that the US Navy presence in the state will not be a US base on Australian soil.
“It won’t be a US military base, but it is the necessary governance and framework that they need to ensure that HMAS Stirling can play its role as part of the AUKUS partnership,” Cook said at a press conference on Friday.
“We’ll be having US subs rotating through that facility, and it’s important that the US has the confidence and the necessary management structures to assure that it works properly.”
“We’re having over $6 billion worth of construction activity taking place at HMAS Stirling as we speak.
“The facilities have been significantly upgraded so that it can play its more enhanced role under the SRF (Submarine Rotational Force) West Rotational Initiative.”
Cook added that the state government had done a lot of work planning in terms of the extra personnel that will be coming into the Rockingham-Kwinana district for the AUKUS activities.
“That’s a fast-growing area – 700 families move into that area almost every month,” he said.
“So it is an area which continues to manage its growth, and we’re ensuring that we work with local government authorities so that every community service is also fully supported.”
Just last week Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy caused a political storm during a visit to Washington when he told the ABC’s 7.30 program that the rotation of US submarines at HMAS Stirling in Perth was limited to just five years.
Conroy then walked back his remarks in an interview with this masthead, saying the US was likely to maintain some kind of presence there indefinitely, and issued a statement to clarify his position.
“Submarine Rotational Force West is intended to be an enduring element of US force posture in Australia,” he said.
Last year former Prime Minister Scott Morrison proposed turning the planned Henderson shipbuilding facility into a joint base, which would allow both American and Australian submarines to be hosted and repaired there, and give the US direct access to the Indian Ocean.
However, defence expert Jennifer Parker, an adjunct fellow at the Australian National University, said the proposal doesn’t make sense, and could add unnecessary complexity to existing plans for Henderson.
“Henderson really is focused on becoming a defence precinct that can support Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding,” Parker said.
“Now a component of Henderson … will conduct depot-level maintenance for submarines, and it will include US submarines, and that’s part of the benefit to the US in this deal.
“But to do that, it doesn’t need to be a joint base whatsoever.”
Parker said US submarines and personnel would be already stationed at the nearby HMAS Stirling on Garden Island under the current AUKUS plans.
With Michael Koziol
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