US military to export 'high risk' explosives to Australian ports amid arms expansion
The US Department of Defence is currently seeking tenders for port services in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria, where it expects "indefinite quantities" of explosives, aircraft, classified and general cargo to be unloaded from ships and onto trucks.
The tender solicitation issued by a US transportation battalion based in Yokohama, Japan, covers the handling of cargo shipped to and from Australia.
An Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesperson said shipments "were necessary to enable and support US exercises and activities in Australia".
The ADF did not respond to questions about whether the cargo was also intended for Australian military use.
Similar shipments into Australian ports are currently handled by German company EMS Shipping and Trading, as part of a $3.1 million contract awarded in 2023.
But the US Military Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) says a new contract extending to 2030 will replace it.
The contract is currently valued at $346,500, however that amount isn't finalised and is expected to increase.
In a statement to bidders, USTRANSCOM said additional payments would be made weekly via "task orders" throughout the life of the contract.
Twenty tonne containers of "explosives cargo" have been added to shipping manifests on the new contract, and in an attached statement to prospective contractors, USTRANSCOM said those containers "include gases, or radioactive".
USTRANSCOM said contractors would be expected to comply with US laws around the handling of ammunition and explosives, including "rockets, missiles, warheads and devices".
The new contract will also expand arms shipments to the Point Wilson port, between Geelong and Melbourne, which in 2023 was flagged for "large-scale importation of guided weapons and explosive ordnance" according to the Australian Department of Defence.
The expansion of US arms shipments to other "secondary" Australian ports was also flagged, which USTRANSCOM said had not yet been identified, and would be separate to the 2025-2031 contract.
The USTRANSCOM tender says contractor employees could be screened for "indications of criminal, terrorism, or threat-related activity or alliances detrimental" to the US or Australian governments.
However USTRANSCOM did not respond to questions over whether the Port of Darwin's leaseholder, Chinese company Landbridge, would be subject to these conditions.
In 2023, three months after the current contract for services at the Darwin Port was awarded, an Australian government review into Landbridge's lease found that "existing monitoring mechanisms are sufficient and will be ongoing."
Defence industry consultant Darian Macey said the contract "broadens the [US] strategic footprint" in Australia, by adding more dangerous cargo and expanding arms shipments to Victoria's Point Wilson port.
"While the contract itself doesn't specify end use, the inclusion of high-risk cargo types and expanded port access is consistent with broader trends we're seeing under AUKUS and allied posture initiatives," he said.
Mr Macey said the contract signalled "a maturing [US] posture in the region" that could support rapid deployments throughout the Indo-Pacific.
"Australia and the Indo-Pacific region is a theatre to the American military planners," he said.
"Having those assets in theatre means that they can respond more rapidly, than if they had to bring those assets across from their home country."
The Australian Department of Defence's Brigadier Mick Say told the recent Northern Australia Defence Summit that the pre-positioning of US military equipment in Australia had been "enabled" by the 2014 US Force Posture Agreement.
He flagged a potential expansion in US Force Posture efforts after high-level ministerial talks between Canberra and Washington later this year.
"That will lead to a number of other announcements, once agreed to by governments, in regards to the next steps of the Force Posture activities within Australia," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
8 minutes ago
- ABC News
Commonwealth Bank backtracks on AI job cuts, apologises for 'error' as call volumes rise
The Commonwealth Bank has backtracked on dozens of job cuts, describing its decision to axe 45 roles due to artificial intelligence as an "error". CBA said it had apologised to the affected employees after finding the customer service roles were not redundant despite introducing an AI-powered "voice-bot". The Finance Sector Union has described the reversal as a "major win", after it raised a dispute at the Fair Work Commission. It said its members found work actually spiked after the bot was introduced, despite the bank's claims it would reduce calls. "Our investment in technology, including AI, is making it easier and faster for customers to get help, especially in our call centres," CBA had said when confirming the job cuts in July. The FSU said the experience of workers after the bot was introduced was "a very different story". "Call volumes were rising, with management scrambling to offer overtime and even pulling team leaders onto the phones," its statement read. CBA admitted it "did not adequately consider all relevant business considerations" when announcing the redundancies and acknowledged "we should have been more thorough in our assessment of the roles required". Affected staff have now been provided the choice to continue in their current roles, pursue redeployment within the bank or proceed with leaving CBA. However, the FSU said the "damage is already done". "CBA has been caught out trying to dress up job cuts as innovation," FSU national secretary Julia Angrisano said. The union said it was continuing to collect accounts from members at CBA about the impact of offshoring, automation and AI on workloads and job security, ahead of a Fair Work hearing next week. CBA chief executive Matt Comyn recently told ABC News it was difficult to predict the impact of AI on jobs in the long term. "I think the full potential of AI, to the extent that we even understand how that can be done, is one that is many years away. "It's true of any technology that some tasks may be automated. "Ultimately, what we've been able to say before is that people have migrated to higher-value work." The CEO highlighted around 2,000 extra staff hired in recent months, but acknowledged that many of those roles had been added in India, as the bank expanded its technology team there. CBA reported a record $10.25 billion cash profit for the 2025 financial year.
ABC News
38 minutes ago
- ABC News
Empty Promises
More than $100 million has vanished in a financial scandal at the heart of the federal government's disability housing program. One enterprise lured in more than 500 Australians with the promise of glittering high returns and social good, only to be exposed as one of the country's most audacious investment scams. Investors were told their money would help tackle the disability housing crisis while earning government backed, fixed returns. Instead, $78 million is alleged to have disappeared into a web of failed projects, luxury cars, gambling sprees and offshore ventures. This week on Four Corners, reporter Jessica Longbottom reveals the cracks in the governance of Australia's disability housing market and exposes systemic regulatory failure. The government's Specialist Disability Accommodation program, part of the NDIS, was meant to transform lives, but it was handed to a poorly regulated private sector. Four Corners investigates how the program, marketed as an ethical investment, has turned into a feeding ground for property sharks and led to streets of vacant homes across the country. The program asks: is this once in a generation opportunity at risk of collapse amid fraud, waste and shattered trust? Empty Promises, reported by Jessica Longbottom and produced by Lesley Robinson, goes to air on Monday 25 August at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
News.com.au
38 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Caught out': CBA sensationally backflips on AI job cuts
Commonwealth Bank has sensationally reversed its decision to cut dozens of call centre roles that were to be replaced by AI, but the 'threat remains' a union warns. Last month, the big-four bank announced it would cut 45 customer service roles and replace them with its new AI-powered 'voice bot' in an effort to reduce call volumes. Under the proposal, the voice bot would reduce call volumes by 2000 calls a week. Instead, call volumes climbed, with management scrambling to offer overtime and pulling in team leaders onto the phones. On Wednesday night, CBA backflipped on the decision to cut staff in the call centre. Financial Sector Union national secretary Julia Angrisano called CBA's decision a massive win for workers but said the threat to jobs remained. 'CBA has been caught out trying to dress up job cuts as innovation,' she said. 'Using AI as a cover for slashing secure jobs is a cynical cost-cutting exercise, and workers know it.' According to the union, this case is just the tip of the iceberg and has warned that more so-called 'efficiency measures' dressed up as AI or digital transformation are already in play across the sector. 'Our members want to be part of the conversation about how new technology is used in banking,' Ms Angrisano said. 'They want secure jobs today and the training needed for the jobs of the future, not to be discarded under the guise of efficiency.' At the time of the job cuts announcement last month, a CBA spokesman told NewsWire the bank had hired more than 9000 people in the 2025 financial year and was investing more than $2bn in their operations. 'To meet the changing needs of our customers, like many organisations, we review the skills we need and how we're organised to deliver the best customer experiences and outcomes,' the spokesman said. On August 13, CBA announced its full-year results with a bumper $10.25bn profit. The bank announced cash profits rose by 4 per cent through the year to June, with the banking giant benefiting from lowering bad debts and growth in its business loan sector. The bank's net interest margin, which is a key sign of profitability as it compares the cost of funding with what it can charge for loans, rose to 2.08 per cent. CBA chief executive Matt Comyn said while some Aussies were still struggling with cost of living, households overall remained resilient. 'Pleasingly, many households have seen a rise in disposable incomes due to the recent relief from reduced interest rates, lower inflation and tax cuts,' he said.
