As Defence prepares the 2026 National Defence Strategy, Mungalulu Truscott Airbase should be recognised as a multi-user critical infrastructure asset—a forward node complementing Darwin that enables logistics, personnel dispersal and operational resilience across northern Western Australia.
Northern Western Australia remains one of the great untapped opportunities for strengthening Australia’s national resilience. Truscott Airbase sits on the Anjo Peninsula, 330 km from Kununurra and less than 600 km west of Darwin. Just 50 km from the remote township of Kalumburu, it occupies a vital position on the Timor Sea that is too often overlooked.
For example, when Japanese aircraft bombed Darwin during World War II, Truscott and nearby Troughton Island were essential forward operating bases. From there, Royal Australian Air Force aircraft flew missions across the Timor Sea. Geography has not changed: Truscott still offers forward positioning that can complement Darwin and RAAF Tindal.
Truscott’s 1,800-metre runway currently accommodates C-27s, and—with dispensation—F-35s and Hercules. The runway could be extended and strengthened to support sustained operations, surveillance aircraft and autonomous systems such as Ghost Bat. Dispersal, redundancy and survivability are essential features of deterrence in an era of long-range strike and grey-zone coercion.
Truscott has hosted drone trials, contributed to Operation Sovereign Borders and Operation Resolute, and supported the Pilbara Regiment, NORFORCE and 51 Far North Queensland Regiment. As RAAF Tindal is increasingly focused on hosting nuclear capable B-52s, there’s a need for alternative bases in the north such as Truscott. It could potentially serve as a lily-pad for forces positioned north of Bradshaw Field Training Area and RAAF Tindal as well as facilitate the United States Force Posture Initiatives, a more permanent Australian Border Force presence, littoral manoeuvre, amphibious operations and allied refuelling or resupply.
Truscott also supports Australia’s energy, resources and critical minerals sectors. Rotary-wing operations sustain offshore projects in the Browse and Bonaparte basins in the Timor Sea. INPEX’s nearby carbon capture and storage project has major project status. A bauxite mine just 30 km away has the potential for hardened road access, while further exploration projects are emerging.
In minimising those operations’ reliance on Broome, Truscott could lower costs and emissions by reducing rotary aviation fuel requirements by up to 2 million litres annually per operator. With targeted investment, Truscott could even become Australia’s first net-zero airport. Shared investment from Defence, industry and government would unlock enduring benefits for both national security and economic resilience.
Truscott also helps sustain local Indigenous communities. The site is leased from the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, providing a vital income stream. The base also shares and subsidises the barge service from Darwin that delivers fuel, food and supplies to Kalumburu. This lifeline makes Kalumburu viable and affordable. Without it, the township would face fragile supply, as seen in Wadeye in the Northern Territory.
The barge—which can carry more than 450 tonnes—makes fortnightly runs and delivers everything from diesel to medical supplies. It also supports oil, gas and mining operations and provides a back-up when Darwin’s own barge operations are interrupted. As such, Truscott is as much a community enabler as a defence asset.
Truscott is the first point of call for emergencies in the Timor Sea’s Browse and Bonaparte basins. On-site helicopters can be airborne within 20 minutes, carrying paramedics for medical retrievals servicing offshore oil and gas projects, the fishing industry and tourism operations. On average, 2,500 medical evacuations are conducted annually in the Kimberley. Truscott’s hardened runways significantly reduce maintenance costs for aircraft, compared to dirt strips.
During the 2009 Montara oil spill, 250 km north of Truscott, 69 workers were safely evacuated to Truscott as Darwin was too far and Broome was impractical. Similarly, Truscott has supported border security operations: in 2009, after a boat carrying 47 refugees exploded, survivors were flown to Truscott, and a mass casualty field hospital was set up in the hangar.
These examples highlight Truscott’s multi-agency utility: it supports Defence, border force, emergency services, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
Yet Truscott remains under-utilised. Legacy Western Australian legislation and licensing arrangements have constrained its use. Although the base is privately funded, governments have often treated it as a public asset, creating uncertainty and discouraging further investment from the private sector. The base’s long-term lease structure will see assets revert to Traditional Owners, presenting opportunities and challenges. To unlock Truscott’s full value, governments will need to engage Indigenous custodians and recognise the site’s strategic significance.
A broader issue is strategic neglect, as high-end capabilities have dominated the national defence debate. Resilience-enabling infrastructure has been largely ignored, and governments have underinvested in the defence estate for decades. The 2023 Defence Strategic Review highlighted northern Australia’s importance in force projection, but fortifying Darwin alone will not deliver the redundancy or reach required.
Truscott is not a relic of history. It is a living capability that sustains communities, underpins offshore energy, supports mining and strengthens deterrence. Its location on the Anjo Peninsula makes it irreplaceable in both warfighting and crisis response.
The next National Defence Strategy is an opportunity to correct course. Truscott should be added to the critical infrastructure priority list and explicitly integrated into Defence’s forward-basing plans. For a relatively modest investment, it could deliver outsized benefits across defence, industry and community resilience.