US looks to pre-position gear Down Under The US is considering keeping military equipment in Australia for the future training of US marines. THE US is considering keeping military equipment in Australia permanently to support the training of up to 2500 US Marines. Acting Australian Defence Force chief Air Marshal Mark Binskin says huge costs are involved in shipping US equipment such as armoured vehicles to and from Australia. It is also costly for Australia's quarantine service to check incoming equipment for foreign pests. Singapore stores its own armoured vehicles in a warehouse at Rockhampton for use on the nearby Shoalwater Bay training area. "I think you will see a similar thing for the US," Air Marshal Binskin told a Senate estimates committee hearing in Canberra on Wednesday. Air Marshal Binskin said possible sites included the Northern Territory or South Australia, with Australian companies possibly having opportunities to service and support the vehicles. The presence of US Marines in Australia is part of the enhanced Australia-US defence co-operation agreement announced by former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard and US President Barack Obama in November 2011. About 200 Marines trained in the NT for six months last year, followed by 250 this year and 1100 due next year. The plan had contemplated a peak of 2500 Marines in 2016-17 but that now appears unlikely to be reached until about 2020. Accommodation and other facilities costing several hundred million dollars will need to be built, defence department acting secretary Brendan Sargeant told the committee. We would construct the facilities and the US would rent or lease them. Over time we would be seeking to make the arrangements cost-neutral to the maximum extent possible," he said.