The U.S. is in talks with Australia about "basing" navy vessels in facilities on the shores of its main South Pacific ally, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said, a move that would risk inflaming tensions with China.
"We're doing a study together with the Australia Defense Force to see what might be feasible for naval cooperation in and around Australia, which might include basing ships," Greenert said during a speech Tuesday at a university in Canberra. It was unclear if Greenert was referring to permanent basing or the rotational placement of ships.
The U.S. is in the midst of a "pivot-to-Asia" that will see 60 percent of its naval forces deployed in the region by 2020, a response to its growing strategic importance.