Australia Dusting Off Old Air Bases

Rising tensions in the Pacific are stirring nations to act. “Across Australia, decades-old facilities—many built by the United States during World War II—are being dusted off or upgraded amid growing fears of another global conflict” (The Washington Post, August 24, 2024). According to officials, these efforts are not for offense but for “deterrence.” The U.S. Secretary of Defense claims these efforts will assist in promoting “greater peace, stability, and deterrence across the region.” He also touted the “unbreakable alliance” between Australia and the United States. Meanwhile, as the nation continues working more and more closely with the U.S., critics have begun to accuse Australia of becoming America’s “51st state.”

At only 2,000 miles away, the Australian air bases are strategically close to many flash points developing in the South China Sea and can be used to project additional power throughout the region. Australia also plans to upgrade three other bases in the north and a base in the Indian Ocean to monitor Chinese naval activity in the area. America is working with Australia on these projects, as well as providing money and eventually aircraft that will be located at several of the bases. The U.S. is also working to refurbish some of its own bases in the South Pacific—bases that were critical stepping stones in World War II (Forbes, April 10, 2024).

The winds of war are growing in Europe and the Pacific—the two major theaters of World War II. Nations that have been militarily quiet for the last 80 years now feel threatened by Russian and Chinese aggression and are preparing for a rapid response. To gain a biblical perspective on these events, read or listen to our commentary “Wars and Rumors of Wars.”