ALASTAIR GALE, PHILIP J. HEIJMANS AND YIAN LEE BLOOMBERG
TOKYO — When the United States pulled its only aircraft carrier based in Asia to support the military surge in Afghanistan back in 2010, allies in the region had little concern that China or North Korea might look to take advantage. Today things are different. As the U.S. continues to pour weapons into the Middle East for military operations against Iran, current and former defense officials in Asia are growing concerned that more American firepower will be shifted over time if the war drags on. And even if fighting wraps up soon, they warned that depleted stockpiles of munitions could also take years to replace, leaving Taiwan and other places vulnerable.
In a Cabinet meeting this week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung confirmed the U.S. may need to relocate air defense assets to the Middle East and subsequent reports said that multiple launchers of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system were spotted moving out of a southern base.
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