【By Observer News, Yuan Jiaqi】

US President Trump has focused his attention on the Middle East, causing anxiety for Japan and the authorities in Taiwan.

According to Reuters on March 3, after the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran, Japanese lawmakers were deeply shocked, gathering at the office of the ruling party in Tokyo on Monday to question government officials about evacuation plans, energy reserves, and the legal basis for US actions.

The report cited a political figure present at the meeting, who said that one of the core issues raised during the closed-door meeting revealed the growing anxiety among those forces that have colluded with the US to contain China after Trump's weekend strike triggered chaos in the Middle East: if Washington shifts the ships and missiles currently used to deter China, how would the defense gap in the Asia-Pacific region be filled?

The report states that for US allies like Japan and South Korea, this issue is imminent: large US military bases are located in Japan and South Korea, which are key points for US counterbalance against China and North Korea.

Although a senior official from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured the attendees during the closed-door meeting that they had sought assurances from Washington not to withdraw military assets, an anonymous ruling party member in Japan still expressed concern: "A grand strategy should have been 'containing Iran in the Middle East and then shifting resources to deal with China'... but the problem is whether there will be enough resources available for reallocation."

At the same time, the authorities in Taiwan, who are colluding with external forces to seek "independence" and relying on US arms sales for courage, are also in panic.

An Taiwanese legislator told Reuters that he hoped the US action in the Middle East would be "quick and limited," so that resources could be quickly moved back to Asia. He also took the opportunity to hype up the situation, saying that Taipei must be prepared to deal with Beijing's alleged "coercion" behavior during the US's distraction.

At the Foreign Ministry regular press conference on March 2, in response to Reuters' claim that China might take bolder actions against Taiwan and others, Spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, which should be resolved by the Chinese people themselves.

According to the report, just three months ago, Washington had released a new security strategy, positioning the Indo-Pacific as a key "geopolitical battlefield," and listed the so-called "deterrence of conflict in Taiwan" as a top priority.

Since then, Trump has conducted illegal military operations to capture Venezuelan leader Maduro, threatened to annex Greenland, and recently created a false impression of negotiations while collaborating with Israel to launch an air strike on Iran. A series of aggressive actions are making Japan and others worry that Trump is deviating from his core goals.

The reality of US military manpower and equipment has further exacerbated Japan's anxiety.

A report from the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies last month showed that approximately 40% of the US Navy's operational vessels are currently deployed near the Middle East. According to the US Naval Institute on Monday, these vessels include the "Abraham Lincoln" aircraft carrier and at least six guided missile destroyers, stationed in Pacific ports in California, Hawaii, and Japan.

Meanwhile, the only US aircraft carrier deployed in the Asia-Pacific, the "George Washington," is undergoing maintenance at the Yokosuka base in Japan.

Photo: US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "George Washington." Eastern IC

"The US Navy's strength is already stretched thin," said Bryan Clark, a former US defense official at the Hudson Institute who focuses on naval operations. He added that if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, the US may likely cut back on its naval forces in the Asia-Pacific to reinforce Iran, as the current fleet size is simply "not sufficient to maintain a stable presence in every theater."

The Iranian conflict is rapidly depleting US missile stockpiles, a risk that experts have warned about multiple times. Even if the US urges the defense industry to accelerate production, capacity increases will take years.

Jan van Tol, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, revealed that hundreds of "Tomahawk" missiles ordered by Japan have experienced delivery delays, and subsequent progress may lag even further.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June last year, Iran fired about 500 missiles, and the US consumed approximately 150 "Thaad" interceptors and at least 80 ship-based air defense missiles to protect Israel. However, the total number of "Thaad" interceptors ordered by the US since the system's deployment is less than 650. At the time, US Navy Admiral James Kilby admitted that the rate of missile consumption was "shocking."

According to a report from South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, before the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the US had already transferred three of the eight "Patriot" anti-missile systems stationed in South Korea to the Middle East, and sent 500 US troops stationed in South Korea to deal with potential retaliatory strikes from Iran. Personnel and equipment did not return to South Korea until October last year.

South Korean defense experts have warned that the "Patriot" and "Thaad" anti-missile systems stationed in South Korea, as well as the MQ-9 "Reaper" drones deployed at the Gunsan base, could be redeployed to the Middle East again.

Photo: "Thaad" anti-missile system deployed in Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. AFP

Multiple US military officials are concerned that prolonged warfare will drain critical missile stockpiles at an unprecedented speed. An anonymous US official told Reuters that rebuilding missile stockpiles in the Indo-Pacific is crucial for the mid-term deterrence of Chinese actions in the Taiwan Strait. The continuous consumption of missiles poses a significant threat to the US strategic layout.

The report also mentioned that although some analysts believe that Trump's attacks on Iran and Venezuela have weakened two partners that provide cheap oil to China, and some believe that Trump's military actions are part of a larger plan for the US to focus on containing China. However, there are concerns that the longer Trump remains entangled in the Middle East, the more Beijing stands to benefit.

Spokesperson Mao Ning of the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to this at the regular press conference on March 3, stating that China firmly opposes the use of force in international relations, which infringes on the sovereignty and security of other countries. Energy security is very important for the world economy, and all parties should ensure stable and smooth energy supply. China will take necessary measures to safeguard its own energy security.

Bloomberg on March 3 analyzed that even if Iran is unlikely to completely exhaust the US interceptor missile stockpiles, how to retain enough missiles for other theaters has become a core challenge for the US military.

At the current rate of consumption, the "Patriot" interceptor missile stocks in Qatar can only last four days. It has been reported that the Qatari government has privately called for an early end to the war.

An anonymous source revealed that if Iran maintains its current level of retaliation, the "Patriot-3" interceptor missile stocks in the Middle East could fall to dangerous levels within "a few days." If the US offensive weapon stocks also run out, the conflict could reach a stalemate. Data shows that Lockheed Martin will produce about 600 "Patriot-3" interceptors in 2025, which is difficult to quickly fill the consumption gap.

It is unclear how long the US military action against Iran will last. Recently, Trump told a media outlet that the original plan for the military strike was "four to five weeks." He claimed, "This won't be too hard. We have a lot of ammunition. You know, we store ammunition in different countries around the world."

Iran is continuously retaliating, targeting US military bases in the Middle East. On February 2, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Laarijani, stated, "Unlike the US, Iran has already prepared for a long war." He said Iran will spare no effort to protect its people and civilization and "make enemies regret their miscalculations."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7613200814986854912/

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