US seeks to increase naval visits

BY SAM WAINWRIGHT

PERTH — On July 30, 70 people crowded into the Fremantle Hotel for a quiz night fundraiser organised by the Fremantle Anti-Nuclear Group (FANG).

FANG is committed to stopping the Seaswap program, under which US Navy vessels call into Fremantle and the Australian naval facilities in the Cockburn Sound, where they exchange crews, saving them time and money because their warships do not need to return home between deployments.

Despite claiming to oppose the invasion of Iraq, the Western Australian Labor government has welcomed the increased US military presence, citing the economic benefits of the visits to local businesses.

"We hope it [Seaswap] will become permanent. We hope the Americans will see this as a good place to come", Premier Geoff Gallup told the July 30 West Australian.

US ambassador Tom Schieffer told the paper that Washington wanted to increase and regularise US naval visits to Fremantle and other Australian ports. "I think what you could see is even greater cooperation between our two military forces, a lot more exercise together, a lot more things that would show the inter-operability of our forces together."

As if to pre-empt criticism that increased US naval visits will lead to Australian ports like Fremantle becoming de facto US military bases, Schieffer added: "I don't think you'll ever see a situation in which there will be bases — American bases — something where an Australian would be stopped by an American military patrol and an American flag would be flying behind him as an American base."

In response, FANG activists said they do not want Fremantle to be further drawn into the US nuclear military machine, irrespective of whether or not it hides behind the Australian flag.

[For information on the campaign visit <http://www.seaswap.org> or contact FANG at <freofang@yahoo.com.au>.]

From Green Left Weekly, August 6, 2003.

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From GLW issue 548