Melbourne: China and Iran are increasing their militarization objectives in the Antarctica region, Australia has warned.
The report called "Cold Calculations" has revealed that Antarctic bases are being used increasingly for military research, involving space and satellites.
According to The Age, a Chinese base inland has been built in the Australian Antarctic Territory for its clear, interference-free skies and space intelligence gathering potential and Iran has also recently shown interest to establish a polar presence.
The continent has officially been declared a land of peace and science, but due to the loose nature of the Antarctic Treaty rules that any nation can inspect another`s operations, the controls are being misused by many countries, the report added.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has revealed that the satellite systems at polar bases could be used to control offensive weapons.
The report claimed that both China and India had active government programs and were seeking to increase the number of their bases on Antarctica.
However, Australia is facing budget restrictions on establishing research station in Antarctica.
