With more than 2,000 U.S. Marines in Australia’s north, commander USMC Colonel David Banning said the force isn’t just in the Top End to train, it’s ready for action. The declaration comes as Defence Minister Peter Dutton hints that while maintaining peace is a “first priority,” the visiting Darwin-based force could soon swell amid growing Indo-Pacific tension. Dutton said there was no sense pretending Australia could out-stock or defeat a large foreign enemy and the time may be right to look, along with the Americans, at “locating additional assets in our country.” Around 2,200 U.S. servicemen and women have so far been posted to the Northern Territory this dry season already. As part of the ongoing posture initiative to promote regional stability, they’re the 10th such annual Marine Rotational Force deployment. And while traditionally tasked with fostering teamwork with the Australian Defence Force and helping bolster ties with Australia’s neighbours, Col …