The US military is planning a permanent war-ready stockpile of weapons for its Marine Corps on Australia's southeast coast, tender documents show and officials confirmed to AFP. Documents published by the US Navy this month show plans for $30 million allocated to build warehouses and offices in southeastern Victoria state for "critical forward provisioning", including "crew served weapons". The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent's strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China's rapid military build-up, analysts said.