The war against Iran has led to a significant reduction in US weapons stocks, in particular air defense missiles, which could create additional risks in the event of a conflict with Russia or China and affect the situation in Ukraine, writes The New York Times, quoted by Focus.
As noted, the stock of missiles, each of which costs millions of dollars, has decreased to such an extent that it is causing concern among officials in the Donald Trump administration. Due to the shortage, Washington has postponed some of the arms deliveries to European and Asian partners.
In addition, the war forced the Pentagon to transfer ships, aircraft and air defense units from Europe and Asia to the Middle East. This significantly weakened American military capabilities in these regions.
The Trump administration is working with defense contractors to accelerate and expand production. However, the publication notes that it may take more than two years to restore more than 1,500 Patriot missiles used in the war with Iran. Currently, the US stockpile of such missiles is less than 1,700.
The ammunition shortage is affecting Ukraine the most, the NYT points out. According to analysts, the main problem lies in the significant increase in missile production by Russia, while Ukraine's Western partners are failing to produce air defense systems at the required pace.
In addition, during the war with Iran, the US troops largely exhausted their stocks of some types of long-range missiles, in particular ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles.
Such missiles would be crucial in the event of a war with China or Russia, where air defense systems are significantly more advanced than Iranian ones. Moscow and Beijing closely monitor US weapons stocks, assessing them based on open sources, as well as with the help of spy satellites and other surveillance tools. The long-term US war with Iran is beneficial for Russia and China, the article states.
The long-term consequences of the depletion of stocks can be felt in Asia. The US Indo-Pacific Command has become one of the main sources of ammunition for the war with Iran: a significant part of the Tomahawk missiles and other long-range weapons, which are of critical importance in the event of a conflict with China, were transferred to the Middle East.
Hundreds of modern missiles from South Korea and other Asian countries were also sent there. At the same time, in support of the campaign against Iran, an aircraft carrier strike group and several of the most modern destroyers of the US Navy were relocated from the region.
According to the NYT, in the event of a war with North Korea, the US military in South Korea could become more vulnerable, as the Pentagon has redirected tactical intelligence assets to the Middle East and withdrawn air defense systems.
The US fears that South Korea and Japan may question Washington's ability to defend them with conventional, non-nuclear means, which will make them more inclined to create their own nuclear weapons.
As a result, the European allies of the US are already looking for opportunities to purchase weapons from other countries, the publication summarizes.