Key facts
- The US Navy has redeployed an amphibious strike group, including the USS Boxer and USS Portland, to the South China Sea.
- This redeployment suggests a potential shift in US military focus back to the Pacific region.
- Military assets were previously moved to the Middle East to support operations related to the Iran war.
- Allies in Asia are concerned about depleted munitions and the impact on US military readiness in the region.
- The US Navy has delayed the delivery of two amphibious warships, potentially extending deployment cycles for existing vessels.
The US Navy has redirected an amphibious strike group, including the USS Boxer and USS Portland, to the South China Sea, a move that experts suggest may indicate a shift in Washington's military focus back to the Pacific. This redeployment comes after significant US military assets were moved to the Middle East earlier this year to support operations related to the Iran war.
The USS Boxer, homeported in San Diego, was initially en route to the Middle East before its redirection. The USS Tripoli group, based in Sasebo, Japan, and one of the US's two main naval groups in the Pacific, remains in the Middle East, but other naval forces are reportedly entering the Pacific.
Allies in the Asia-Pacific region have expressed concerns that the prolonged conflict in the Middle East and the subsequent diversion of military resources could impact US readiness and munitions stockpiles. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung confirmed that the US may need to relocate air defense assets, such as THAAD system launchers, to the Middle East, a move he opposed but could not prevent. Officials note that approximately one-third of the US naval surface fleet has been deployed to the Middle East, and essential logistics chains are heavily concentrated near Iran.
Further compounding readiness concerns, the US Navy has announced a one-year delay in the delivery of the next two amphibious warships, likely extending deployment cycles for existing vessels. During the Iran war, two of the US's three available aircraft carriers were deployed to support operations, and the US has maintained a large destroyer presence in the Middle East, leading to critically low missile inventories.