 For 70 years, the United States and Australia have maintained one of the strongest military partnerships the world has ever seen. First, sharing arms in World War I, our bond was sealed in World War II. While young Aussies were fighting the Nazis in North Africa, Australians on the home front found themselves engaged in the Pacific Theater. Selling sail for the outback, the U.S. and Australia aligned once again during the island hopping campaign, leading to Allied success in the Pacific. In 1951, the Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty was signed, solidifying the alliance between the nations. November 16, 2011, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and U.S. President Barack Obama announced the annual rotational deployment of U.S. Marines to Darwin. As the Prime Minister and I announced yesterday, some of our Marines will begin rotating through these parts. Merk D continues to contribute to regional security within the Indo-Pacific region. It is comprised of command, ground combat, aviation combat, and logistics combat elements. Our mission is to conduct humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, embassy reinforcements, non-combatant evacuation operations, operations from key maritime terrain, and enable follow-on forces to operate in the region. Supporting the U.S. force posture initiatives, we train and operate with the Australian Defense Force to enhance interoperability, conduct regional engagements, and demonstrate the indomitable strength of the U.S.-Australian alliance. Together, forward-deployed Marines and sailors in the ADF are a postured and ready force dedicated to keeping a free and open Indo-Pacific region.