Before the war with Iran started, American military commanders redirected a carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the Middle East. This week, the Pentagon has been moving sophisticated air defenses from Asia to bolster protection against Iran’s drones and rockets.
The redirected weapons include Patriot missiles and interceptors from the THAAD system in South Korea — the only Asian ally hosting the advanced missile defense system, deployed by the Pentagon to counter North Korea’s growing missile threat. Now, for the first time, its interceptors are being moved away, followed by launchers if the diplomatic and logistical details can be worked out, according to American officials.
The war in Iran — barely two weeks old — is already straining America’s promise of security in a region that U.S. military leaders have called
“our priority theater.”Longer term, officials and analysts suggest the war will weaken American influence, aid Chinese arguments about American decline and accelerate a middle-power arms race.
The war’s demands are widening. Australia this week
sent aircraft, personnel and a supply of air-to-air missiles to the Middle East. Japan and Taiwan are facing potentially delayed arms deliveries as the United States and its Middle Eastern allies burn at a blistering rate through attacking missiles and defensive interceptors. Pentagon officials
told Congress on Tuesday that they estimated the cost of the war had exceeded $11.3 billion in the first six days alone.
American military commanders have told The New York Times that they are worried about the shrinking stockpiles and diversions, which are affecting many regions. In Asia, U.S. allies feel the deficit acutely as they struggle to counter China’s surging military and increasingly aggressive regional maneuvers.
American officials have said for years that they would prioritize the Indo-Pacific. Now they’re moving warships, missiles and air defenses out for a war in the Middle East.
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www.theguardian.com
