U.S. redeploys forces to Middle East amid war

U.S. strategic assets stationed around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific, are being redirected in large numbers to the Middle East following the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, Bloomberg News reported on March 13. The redeployment includes aircraft carriers and missile defense systems and has raised concerns among U.S. allies such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan about a potential security gap in the region.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that China could consider targeting U.S. bases in the Indo-Pacific in the event of a contingency involving Taiwan. The assessment follows Iran’s attacks on U.S. military installations in the Middle East as well as strikes against pro-U.S. countries in the region including Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

According to Bloomberg, the United States has deployed roughly one-third of its naval surface fleet to the Middle East. Aerial refueling tankers and logistics vessels have also been concentrated around Iran. Patriot missile systems, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and ATACMS missiles operated by United States Forces Korea are also said to be in the process of being redeployed to the Middle East.

If the conflict drags on, additional U.S. strategic assets are likely to shift to the region. That prospect has fueled concern that Washington’s deterrence against China in the Indo-Pacific, including its capacity to defend Taiwan, could be significantly weakened. Bloomberg reported that since the war began on Feb. 28, the United States and its allies in the Middle East have fired about 580 Patriot missiles. Lockheed Martin, the U.S. defense contractor that manufactures the system, produces roughly 620 of the missiles each year. The figure suggests that nearly a year’s output has been used in about two weeks. The Financial Times also estimated that U.S. forces launched 168 Tomahawk missiles during the first 100 hours of the conflict.

Iran’s retaliation since the outbreak of the war has struck at least 17 sites across the Middle East, including U.S. military bases, diplomatic facilities and air defense infrastructure. Lyle Goldstein, a senior research fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, told the South China Morning Post that if a war were to erupt in the Taiwan Strait, China could target U.S. bases across the Indo-Pacific. According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States maintains 24 permanent military bases in the region, including Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek and Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Chul-Jung Kim tnf@donga.com