Fifteen kilometres from Darwin CBD, there's a plot of mud and dirt that is about to become a $270 million asset for the United States defence force.

By September 2023, the East Arm fuel storage facility is expected to be able to store 300 million litres of military jet fuel to support American defence activities in the Northern Territory and Indo-Pacific region.

Dr Teagan Westerdorf speaks to ABC News. Read the full piece here.