[By Guancha Observer Network, Wang Kaiwen] As US President Donald Trump ordered a "forceful military action" against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the US military has launched large-scale airstrikes across multiple areas of Yemen in recent days. At this time, the United States has once again turned its attention to China.

"US commanders are concerned that the fighting in Yemen will deplete weapons needed to deter China," The New York Times reported on April 8 under the headline "American commanders worry Yemen fight will deplete arms needed to deter China." Congressional officials said that American commanders preparing for possible conflicts with China are increasingly worried that the Pentagon will soon transfer long-range precision weapons reserves from the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East.

These officials, who requested anonymity, stated that the US military used a large amount of ammunition in its bombings in Yemen. Prior to this, following the outbreak of新一轮 Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023 and the Houthis' attacks on Israeli-related ships, the Pentagon began deploying warships and aircraft to the Middle East, which harmed America's combat readiness in the Pacific.

Meanwhile, US ships, aircraft, and personnel are undergoing what the military calls "high-tempo operations." The report states that under such arduous conditions, even basic equipment maintenance has become problematic.

On March 15, 2025, local time, an F/A-18 fighter jet from the US Air Force took off from an aircraft carrier at sea to execute a military operation against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Visual China.

Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, will attend a congressional hearing on April 9 and 10. He is almost certain to be questioned about combat readiness.

US officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have claimed that the US must prioritize strengthening its forces in the Asia-Pacific region to "deter" China.

In the view of the interviewed officials, US support for Ukraine, as well as decades of military actions in the Middle East and Afghanistan, have diverted important resources from the US military in Asia. If Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities in the coming months and triggers a wider Middle Eastern war, the Trump administration will almost certainly deploy more US military resources to the region.

Currently, while the US military is bombing the Houthi rebels in Yemen, it is struggling to balance resources. The New York Times disclosed on April 4 that the month-long bombing campaign was much larger than the scale announced by the Pentagon. US officials stated that the Pentagon had used up approximately $20 million worth of munitions in the first three weeks alone; if military operations and personnel costs are included, the current expenditure has exceeded $1 billion.

The Pentagon has already deployed two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, and B-2 "Spirit" stealth bombers have been massively deployed to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. Meanwhile, the US has also deployed two Patriot air defense missile systems and one THAAD missile defense system to Israel.

Despite Trump occasionally boasting on social media about the US military's achievements, claiming that the military operations severely damaged the Houthis, Pentagon officials admitted in closed-door briefings that the US military had achieved only limited success in destroying the Houthis' vast arsenal of missiles, drones, and launchers.

A congressional official stated that a senior Pentagon official recently revealed that the US Navy and the Indo-Pacific Command were "very concerned" about the speed at which ammunition was being consumed in Yemen. The report noted that prior to then-President Biden's first order to attack the Houthi rebels in January last year, the overall inventory of the US Navy was already far below target.

The aforementioned Pentagon official also stated that once any conflict breaks out in Asia, the Pentagon now faces "real operational problems."

When asked whether the US combat plans in the Pacific would be affected due to a lack of ammunition, Matthew Comer, a spokesman for the US Indo-Pacific Command, attempted to downplay these concerns. He claimed that the US military was equipped with "flexible deterrent options," and in the Indo-Pacific region, the US always maintained a ready, capable, and lethal force to ensure national defense and respond to any emergencies.

Hegseth has never concealed his promotion of the "China threat." During his first visit to the Asia-Pacific region last month, he declared that the US would "truly prioritize the region, shifting focus to it in unprecedented ways."

In early March, Hegseth told US media that the US did not seek to go to war with China but would rebuild the military to prepare for war.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that the relevant remarks by US officials deliberately incited ideological confrontation and hyped the China threat. It is advised that the US does not project its hegemonic logic onto China, does not view Sino-US relations through outdated Cold War thinking, and does not use strategic competition as an excuse to contain and suppress China. The Chinese position is clear and consistent; whether it is a tariff war or a trade war, whether it is a Cold War or a hot war, none can be fought nor won.

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7491150428227371557/

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