Agency exploring property disposition possibilities for Darwin-based Marines

The Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services team that supports warfighters across the Indo-Pacific region is currently evaluating how to best assist the reverse logistics needs of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin in the sparsely-populated northernmost reaches of Australia.

"We're working with the Australian Defence Force to leverage their capabilities to support DOD requirements," said Faron Cordrey, who oversees DLA Disposition Services' property disposition efforts in the Indo-Pacific region. "Our goal is to work with Australian military logisticians to have an agreement in place within the next year to support long-term property disposal needs."

For a little over a decade, U.S. Marine Corps units assigned to MRF-D have trained alongside their Aussie counterparts while operating primarily from the Australian Army's Robertson Barracks on the outskirts of the Northern Territory regional capital.

In March, the 13th consecutive expeditionary Marine Air-Ground Task Force arrived as part of an ongoing 25-year security agreement between the U.S. and Australian governments. MRF-D forces regularly take part in Australian Defence Force-hosted operations and exercises, including Exercise Predator's Run 24, which kicked off in mid-July and includes the United Kingdom Commando Force and the Republic of Philippines Army.

According to a Marine Corps news release, "the Australia-U.S. Alliance is an anchor of peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Our nations share key objectives - increasing combined capabilities, promoting a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region, and strengthening [our] ability to respond to humanitarian crises, natural disasters, and contingencies."

Cordrey said the agency is working with Australian authorities to develop a plan within the next year to allow ADF organizations to dispose of U.S. equipment.

"There's definitely a need," Cordrey said. "We have substantial disposition requirements we'll have to deal with there."