Terminating the U.S. Force Posture Agreement (FPA)
Terminating the U.S. Force Posture Agreement (FPA) has become one of IPAN's 2025 Campaigns.
To join the campaign: contact Bevan Ramsden: bevanram1960@gmail.com
This FPA military Agreement gives the United States military a heavy footprint on the Australian continent enabling it to launch or support a foreign war from our soil in conjunction with our ADF which is now closely integrated with the US military.
The FPA document can be accessed here.
The FPA provides for unimpeded access by the US military to agreed areas and facilities such as our ports for its warships and nuclear submarines, our airfields for its military aircraft including nuclear-capable B52 bombers stationed at RAAF Tindal as well as fuel, maintenance and munitions stores distributed in various parts of Australia. The FPA underpins the annual stationing in excess of 2,500 US marines in NT each year for training and practising go to war with our ADF.
This military Agreement can be terminated by Australia giving the U.S. 12 months notice of termination.
Sign the public call to end AUKUS and the FPA here
IPAN's FPA working group was tasked with creating an awareness of the FPA and its implications which it has done through meetings and webinars as well as producing a FACT Sheet on the FPA.
The FACT sheet can be accessed here.
The FPA Working Group organised a petition to Federal Parliament calling for the termination of the FPA. This attracted 3,916 signatures and was presented to Federal Parliament in November, 2023 by the Federal Members for Brisbane, Stephen Bates.
CAMPAIGNING for Termination of the FPA together with termination of AUKUS is one of IPAN's major campaigns for 2025.
Contact Bevan Ramsden: bevanram1960@gmail.com if you would like to join this campaign.
Other ways to help create awareness and opposition to the FPA:
- Distribute the FPA Fact Sheet. If you need quantities, contact bevanram1960@gmail.com. Distribution could be at meetings, workplaces, at stalls at functions, street stalls or through publications you have access to.
- Arrange to have a speaker on the FPA at a meeting of an organisation you are associated with — a trade union, faith organisation, community group, peace group, political party branch, etc. IPAN can provide a speaker. Contact bevanram1960@gmail.com to arrange a speaker.
- Send a letter to your Member of Parliament.
More Information
Read Michele Fahy's article in Arena Quarterly, September 2024, which provides detailed analysis of the FPA:
"The FPA is the overarching determinant of our military relationship with the United States. It enables a significant increase in the militarisation of Australia in order to support America's ability to wage war against China. It says: 'United States Forces and United States Contractors shall have unimpeded access to and use of Agreed Facilities and Areas for activities undertaken in connection with this Agreement'."
The FPA also allows:
- Unimpeded access to our airfields and airport facilities for US combat aircraft and bombers
- Unimpeded access to our seaports for US naval vessels, including US nuclear submarines at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia
- The construction of a US Air Force mission planning, intelligence and operations centre in Darwin as part of $630 million in American spending across the Top End
- The establishment, under US military control, of several storage facilities for aircraft fuel, spare parts and munitions, including eleven giant jet fuel storage tanks near Darwin's main port at a cost to the US of $270 million
- The embedding of US military intelligence analysts within Canberra's Defence Intelligence Organisation, which will be renamed the Combined Intelligence Centre — Australia
