US to deploy 2300 troops to WA under ‘base’ arrangement - The Australian

The United States will station around 2,300 personnel in Western Australia under what is described as a base arrangement, a substantial step beyond the rotational deployments that have defined the alliance's northern presence since 2011. Locating a force of this size on the Indian Ocean side of the continent aligns with Submarine Rotational Force–West at HMAS Stirling and signals that Australia's west coast is becoming a forward node for US undersea and maritime operations. It deepens the practical integration of the alliance while raising familiar questions about sovereign control, host-nation infrastructure costs, and Australia's exposure in any US-China contingency.