New data compiled by the Nautilus Institute, an independent security think tank, reveals that the US military and American defence corporations now control or have access to 110 of Australia's military installations — more than half of all defence facilities in the country. The US directly controls 17 sites, holds access to 75 Australian-run bases, and American defence firms such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman operate at an additional 18 facilities, where they manufacture and test weapons systems. Analyst Professor Richard Tanter warns the scale of the arrangement amounts to a "saturation" of the continent, arguing Australia has become a strategic launching point for potential US warfighting operations against China, raising serious questions about whether Canberra could be drawn into a conflict against its own interests.