Clinton in Australia for talks on boosting military ties

SYDNEY - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signalled increased military cooperation with Australia after arriving in Melbourne Saturday on the last leg of her six-country Asia-Pacific tour.

Stronger military cooperation is top of the agenda of talks with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and at ministerial-level talks Monday that will bring together US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith and Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.

Easier use of Australian bases, more joint training programmes and more visits by ships, planes and troops are proposed. There could also be stockpiling of US military equipment and supplies at local bases, and a joint space tracking facility that would monitor missiles, satellites and space junk.

“I think it’s going to be an issue of discussion at AUSMIN (Australia-US ministerial level talks Monday) about the cooperation on a range of matters, including space, cyber-security and so much else,” Clinton told reporters.

Clinton, who is on her first visit to Australia as secretary of state, has visited Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand in her two-week sweep through the region. She leaves Monday.

Rudd, who was replaced by Gillard as prime minister in June, said at a joint press conference with Clinton that Australia would “welcome the United States making greater use of our ports and our training facilities, our test-firing ranges”.