Australia moves to militarise Antarctic

From Stuff.co.nz:

The prospect of a militarised Antarctica has been raised with Australia being urged to sharply increase military capability there so as to head off competition from other countries.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says Australia could need a war-fighting capability to prevent nations staking claims on its Antarctic territory and to address disputes on oil, fisheries and other resources.

In New Zealand, the proposal won support from Peter Cozens, director of Victoria University's centre for strategic studies, who said we should also consider boosting our military presence in Antarctica.

"New Zealand has already taken a tentative step toward recognising resource competition with the new naval vessels being ice-strengthened," he said. "(But) the Government should think in terms of increasing New Zealand's military presence in the Antarctic."...