The United States Marine Corps has confirmed its next rotation to Darwin in the Northern Territory will include more than 1200 Marines and 13 aircraft.
“Approximately 1,250 Marines will deploy to Darwin, Australia, in 2017 for the sixth iteration of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin,” was reported by SBS.
The arrival of the planes will, however, constitute the largest deployment of US aircraft here. The 2017 rotation will also include four MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, five AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters and four UH-1Y Huey helicopters.
The rotations of US Marines to Darwin was first announced by former prime minister Julia Gillard and former US president Barack Obama in 2011 as part of America’s military’s long-term “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific region.