LARGE numbers of US sailors could soon be shipped to Darwin with the city earmarked to be home to a new American defence base.
The move is believed to be part of a bold plan to expand the US military presence in Australia.
Specific measures are yet to be confirmed.
But media reports said yesterday the port of Darwin or the Bradshaw Field Training Area near Timber Creek were American favourites.
Others included Townsville in Queensland and the HMAS Stirling naval base in WA.
The plan is expected to go ahead within months.
The move will make it easier for the countries' defence forces to exercise together and to respond to regional disasters and emergencies.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Robert Gates and their Australian counterparts Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Defence Minister Stephen Smith spoke yesterday.
Mr Smith said he welcomed an increased American military presence in Australia.
The joint establishments are believed to be similar to already-existing models such as Pine Gap in Central Australia.
Foreign affairs experts said that the plan could be seen as a strategy for the US to counter China's increasing economic and military power.
But Dr Gates said the new measures had nothing to do with China.
"This isn't about China at all," he said.
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