General Discussion

Early Iran strikes cost $5.6 billion in munitions, Pentagon estimates

(snip)

As it churns through its inventories, the military also is rerouting assets from other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific region, where lawmakers have long feared that any U.S. conflict with China would be challenged by the Pentagon’s limited stocks of high-end weapons.

The Pentagon is moving parts of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from South Korea to the Middle East, according to two officials. The military also is drawing from its supply of sophisticated Patriot interceptors in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere to bolster its defense against Iran’s drone and ballistic missile attacks, these people said.

One of the officials said the moves were not due to an immediate shortage of weaponry in the Middle East but were rather a precautionary measure in case Iran drastically increased its rate of retaliatory attacks, which has fallen more than a week into the conflict.

“The more THAADs and Patriots you shoot, the more risk you assume in the Indo-Pacific and in Ukraine,” Cancian said.

(snip)

During a Cabinet meeting in Seoul, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that relocation of U.S. military assets from South Korea would not affect deterrence against North Korea, though he noted that Seoul has expressed opposition to the move.