They were the most advanced group to be sent to Australia since former U.S. President Barack Obama began the program in 2011. SYDNEY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Three hundred U.S. Marines flew out of Australia on Sunday as their troop rotation came to an end, the first of a 1,250-strong force to leave the Pacific nation after being stationed for six months in the country's far north. The rotational forces are stationed in Darwin, state capital of the Northern Territory, which is strategically located on the coastal doorstep of Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea. "Australia's alliance with the United States is our most important defence relationship and remains central to Australia's security," Captain Bryan Parker, deputy commander of Australia's Northern Command, said in a statement. Marine rotation numbers were originally expected to reach 2,500 by 2017 but so far have not risen above 1,250, according to ABC News reports.

Source: Huffington Post October 15, 2017 06:11 UTC