Australian PM denies US B-1 bombers to be based in Darwin

The Australian government on Friday downplayed inflammatory comments made by a U.S. military official regarding sending U.S. B-1 bombers to Australia to counter what America describes as "destabilizing effect" in the South China Sea.

U.S. Defense Department Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear told a Congressional hearing on Wednesday that B-1 bombers and surveillance aircraft would soon be based in Australia.

Before testimony to a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Shear also said that as U.S. Marine and Army units "pivot" toward the Western Pacific region, "we will be placing additional Air Force assets in Australia as well, including B-1 bombers and surveillance aircraft."

The comments were however downplayed by Australia, which hosts approximately 1,150 U.S. Marines at its Royal Australian Air Force base in Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday that Shear's comments were not an accurate reflection of the current situation.

"I understand that the official misspoke and that the U.S. does not have any plans to base those aircraft in Australia," Abbott said.

"Australia's alliance with the U.S. is a force for stability," Abbott said.

An Australian Defense Department spokesperson said the department was "aware of the comments made by a U.S. official in Congressional testimony overnight."

The spokesperson said an agreement signed by the former federal government that involved the deployment of U.S. Marines was "not directed at any one country."

The U.S. Air Force said the B-1 bomber was the backbone of its long-range bomber force.

The aircraft, currently being used in Iraq to attack Islamic State, is capable of rapidly delivering 84 bombs weighing 225 kg each "against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time."