THE head of the US Marines says the American troop build up in Darwin and his current visit to Australia and Asia should not be viewed as sabre rattling in the region.
General James F. Amos, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and in charge of about 200,000 US Marines, was in Darwin on Thursday and will visit Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.
"I don't see it as sabre rattling, I see it as partnerships," Gen Amos told reporters at Darwin's Robertson Barracks.
There were many reasons the US would want to partner with Australia, he said.
"There is lots of opportunity to work together with humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, train together and actually have an influence on sea lines, communications, commerce, free trade and responsible behaviour in the Asia Pacific area," Gen Amos said.
The number of US troops rotating through Darwin will increase in coming years, to reach 2500 by 2017, but is currently only a few hundred.
Gen Amos said he did not know when the numbers would accelerate, but eventually the US wanted to have about 23,000 Marines stationed west of the international dateline.
Australia's Major General Michael Krause, who helps oversee the US troop build up in Darwin, said while initially some Asian countries had concerns about the US Marines in Darwin, that perception had changed.
"That concern has really turned around now," Maj Gen Krause said, citing Indonesia as an example.
Maj Gen Krause said US Marines in Darwin had behaved well, with two speeding tickets the only run-ins with the law from the group from Fox Company, who arrived in April.
America's ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey Bleich, told media the message he wished to deliver was one of thanks to the Australian government, the Australian Defence Forces, to Darwin and to Fox Company.
