SYDNEY: US Marine Corps plans for a crisis-ready stockpile in Australia are part of a “growing US footprint” in the country and important for national security, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Wednesday. The US Marines will include Australia in a global prepositioning program for weapons, ammunition and vehicles for the first time, AFP reported on Tuesday, citing tender documents. An initial stockpile in Melbourne city will move to US warehouses at Australia’s Bandiana military base in rural Victoria.

The massive buildup of weapons is part of an Asia-wide regional defence strategy to counter the rise of China.

SYDNEY: The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia’s southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender…