SYDNEY (Kyodo) Australia is an active partner in U.S. research linked to a controversial missile defense shield proposed for North Asia, an Australian daily reported Monday.

Australia's Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) has been conducting joint experiments in Australia with the Pentagon on the early detection of ballistic missile launches as part of U.S. research into theater missile defense (TMD) systems, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The TMD experiments in Australia, code-named Project Dundee, which stands for Down Under Early Warning Experiment, have included using over-the-horizon radar in tracking U.S.-built rockets fired out to sea from the northwest coast of Western Australia, the Herald said.

The Herald quoted senior researcher David Cartwright as saying in a DSTO report that the experiments compliment Australia's "long-standing cooperation in the U.S. missile early warning program. . . aimed at developing a defense against theater ballistic missiles."

Australia has also foreshadowed its support for an associated U.S. proposal to build a national missile defense (NMD) system to protect the U.S. from missile attacks.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told the Herald the government would support tests of the proposed NMD system at the U.S. electronic spy base at Pine Gap in central Australia.

"I don't have any particular problems with that," he was quoted as saying.

The United States has proposed building a TMD system to provide a shield for its troops and allies in North Asia against missile attacks from "states of concern" such as North Korea.

The proposal has drawn stinging criticism from China, which has warned it will lodge a protest at this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum security talks in Bangkok.