Amid the flurry of diplomatic activity in November 2011, President Barack Obama announced that US Marines would begin rotations to Darwin in 2012 starting with some 250 personnel at the Australian Army’s Robertson Barracks and growing to a target of 2,500 Marines in the years ahead. The Marine deployment is a signal of US commitment to Asia as our allies and partners worry about a shift in the regional balance of power. It also helps the US overcome the tyranny of distance by having forward-deployed forces for a variety of contingencies, including disaster relief.