Mr. Gates mentioned we need to embrace new strategies and options on how we operate in the future. With declining force levels in the past, we used overseas home exporting as a force multiplier. With China expanding, its scope of operations to include the Indian Ocean, we should consider homeporting a carrier battle group in Western Australia at Fremantle. We looked at this possibility in 1986-87 and found it to be very feasible.In the past I have reiterated my position that we should bring all our maneuver forces from Japan and Europe except for a few Combined/Joint logistics and training facilities ... but .... a Carrier Strike Group in Australia ..... well .... I and a few hundred thousand Sailors and Marines might be willing to make an exception.
The secretary has laid the ground work for major changes in how the Navy will operate in the future. However, there is still time to make sensible course corrections. I am sure for his legacy, the secretary does not want to be remembered as the secretary who scuttled the U.S. Navy.
What a set of orders .... look how far you are from the pier to the golf course. Perth just down the road. Talk about quick access to open and uncrowded Operating Areas ..... BTW - you do know what Australian women think of American men ... right? Just put my retired butt on the liberty risk program now.
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Make the dream complete. Station a bird-farm and cruiser at Freemantle and scatter some of the rest of the battle group. My LHA visited Freemantle and my CG visited Albany once and I would pack bags right now to be a J.O. in that town again. Albany is the farthest south you can get in Western Oz and it is where the Anzac mustered for the Gallipoli campaign. When Nasser took over Egypt he threw down the monument that had stood in Alexandria, the final jumping off point, which to me was a theatrical echo of Sauron destroying the monument of Numenor at Umbar. The Aussies rebuilt the monument on top of the cliffs over the harbor in one of the most beautiful memorial parks I have seen. The harbor is magnificent and from on top of the cliffs the Southern Ocean stretches out to Antartica. A quarter century ago the mayor cooked me dinner.
They explained to me that Perth/Freemantle was the most isolated European city on Earth. The closest sizable city of any nationality is Singapore, 2,400 miles away. You can get some good wine in the Swan valley near Perth and the local university has a lovely campus. There are still Australians who remember that the Americans saved them from invasion when we turned back the Japanese fleet at the Coral Sea. There is an advantage to having an older population that partially balances the demographic concerns of Mark Steyn.
Ideally we would forward deploy not only a CVBG, which we need twice as many of in a dangerous world, but also an amphibious group. The Australians may not be able to host a base of the size that would entail though. The fastest way to upgrade the Australian forces would be to give them 25 B-52 bombers instead of destroying them. with new engines and upgraded avionics those magnificent planes could serve for another 50 years as a counter to a potential Chinese thrust.
"too old?" No such thing. You might not be able to get a sea duty billet, but I betcha there will be civilian positions in support ashore.
Did you say PHIBGRU? I just KNOW they need a USMCR liaison....
I think I will have to take one for the team and move there. Ya know, earn that overseas ribbon. :)
Now I might stay on active duty for that... kinda like the AVG in China?
Planning on bringing your wife? :-D
She would love me forever (she loves Aussie men) if I did and hate me forever if I didn't. :) It doesn't matter where she gets her appetite as long as she eats at home! ;)
The Wombat knows exactly what the Wombette thinks of seppos-that at least one had to go out of species to drag her outta Briz-Vegas ;)
I wonder if Aussie women would still like Americans if we were there full time.... I suspect the luster would wear off around the 3rd year.... for the local anyways.
On the other hand, it could turn into Pensacola south with Aussie moms shipping their girls from Sydney or Melbourne to Perth to meet a nice pilot boy.
Certainly a good idea, back enough to avoid IRBMS and TACAIR, forward enough to deploy into contested waters quickly.
Those who forget their history are doom to relive it. That being said I will add two word.
Subic Bay.
I think CAG 5 would be my first choice if this were the case...of course, there would probably be a knock down, drag out fight to get over there.
I've been saying the same thing for years. I know first hand how hard it is to get volunteers to Yoko, so Fremantle would be great. Doubt I'll see it in my time, but would love to see it for future generations of Sailors.
It would bring joy to my little heart to be around the Aussies. I know my little heart was going pitter pat when they were behind me in the NEX line in Guam! PHEW!
C7F has tried for years to get Naval Reactors to approve a nuclear ship visit to Freemantle. Even the Aussies have pushed for it. No joy! Clearly homeporting a CVBG couldn't happen. To bad - it is a great college town! Best liberty the young sailors every had! Maybe that is why the occassional sailor goes for a walkabout (UA) when the CVBGs visit Stirling.
The lassies in Dunoon didn't seem to mind for about 30 years. There are a lot of mother in laws of retired USN sailors who live there yet.
Ace Lyons...now there's a name I wanted to forget.
The last time I was in Freemantle ('99) the CVN anchored out while the CG went pierside. Imagine that would get old pretty quickly for a homeporter.
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