American military leaders have expressed serious concerns that the ongoing campaign in Yemen is exhausting weapons stocks required to counter China, according to a New York Times report.
The newspaper quoted a U.S. official stating that the Navy and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are “extremely concerned” about the rapid rate at which the military is consuming munitions in Yemen. The official confirmed the U.S. military is struggling to balance its resources while conducting airstrikes against Yemen.
The American military official revealed the Pentagon has already expended approximately $200 million worth of munitions in just the first three weeks of operations. When accounting for operational and personnel expenses, the bombing campaign against Yemen has exceeded $1 billion during this three-week period.
The New York Times reported that maintaining essential equipment has become problematic under these harsh conditions. The Pentagon may soon need to transfer long-range precision weapons from its stockpiles in the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East.
The U.S. official also noted that America’s readiness in the Pacific is being compromised due to the Pentagon’s deployment of warships and aircraft to the Middle East. This redeployment of assets is negatively impacting U.S. military capabilities in the Pacific theater.
The report highlights growing tensions within the Pentagon about resource allocation between ongoing Middle East operations and strategic priorities in Asia, particularly regarding China. Military leaders worry that the continued high tempo of operations in Yemen could undermine America’s ability to maintain deterrence against potential Chinese aggression.
