The Iran war has eaten into resources needed to deter adversaries in the Asia Pacific region, a US military official told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.
The conflict is currently in a ceasefire that was unilaterally extended by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday amid a stalemate between Washington and Tehran over a second round of talks.
But the war that Israel and the US launched against Iran on Feb. 28 has badly eaten into US stocks of missile interceptors and other critical assets as Washington has sought to stave off successive waves of Iranian drone and missile barrages that, in some cases, have badly damaged or destroyed US military assets in the region.
Adm. Samuel Paparo, the US Navy commander for the Indo-Pacific, acknowledged under questioning from Rep. Adam Smith that US forces in the region have had to adapt to what he called "some entrepreneurial approaches to some of the force elements that have been allocated to US Central Command."
He was referring to the US' Middle East Command, which has received military assets during the war that would have normally been assigned to other theaters.
Paparo pointed explicitly to annual joint training exercises in the Philippines, commonly referred to as "Balikatan," that test joint military readiness among partner nations.
"We'll have some other elements where we drive some more creativity in the process so that we can maintain the exercise objectives, and our allies and partners have made some important shifts to continue to support our military exercises," he said in response to questioning from the committee's top Democrat.
‘Not yet had to make hard choices’
In addition to the US shifting materiel and troops to the Middle East, the war has also sent shockwaves through global energy markets as Iran shuttered the Strait of Hormuz, curtailing the flow of ships through the critical waterway. After Iran loosened its restrictions, US President Donald Trump imposed a US blockade on the strait, blocking Iranian-linked ships from transiting.
Asked about the ripple effects of the war on the fuel supplies of allies in the Asia-Pacific region, Paparo said his command has "not gotten into the detail on the larger fuel implications for each individual partner nation, but you know, it's something that we're watching, the flow of energy into the Indo-Pacific, the linkage of economics."
Pressed by Smith on the implications of the war for US fuel supplies in the region, Paparo acknowledged that while it has yet to force the US into making difficult decisions, that may happen in the future.
"We've not yet had to make hard fuel choices that have affected our ability to do exercises, but it'll be an issue of concern moving forward," he said.
Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan pushed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh on the ramifications of the war, and grew increasingly incredulous after he maintained that the military "has sufficient munitions to address any task at hand."
"And you can deliver that with a straight face? That you really, honestly believe that?" said Ryan. "These impacts are real, and if we don't acknowledge that and be honest about it, how can we say we're doing right by our folks?"
Additional details on the effects of the war on the US force posture were expected to be discussed behind closed doors during a subsequent classified hearing.
Restoring depleted stockpiles to desired levels will take ‘many years’
But Ryan pointed to an analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, which estimated that it will take "one to four years" to replenish missile stocks to pre-war levels due to production times and already low inventories when the war began.
"These missiles will also be critical for a potential Western Pacific conflict. Even before the Iran war, stockpiles were deemed insufficient for a peer competitor fight," according to the report.
"That shortfall is now even more acute, and building stockpiles to levels adequate for a war with China will take additional time," it added.
The analysis looked at seven key munitions, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, Precision Strike Missiles, Standard Missile 3, Standard Missile 6, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles, and Patriot missiles.
As it seeks to revitalize its stocks, the US will also have to compete with other partner and allied nations that are seeking the armaments amid scarce supply, including Ukraine.
While there are low-cost alternatives to the weapons, the CSIS noted there are trade-offs involved in using one over the seven it mentioned, notably shorter ranges that would put more launchers in range of adversaries.
Still, it maintained that he US has enough munitions in its stocks if the war with Iran continues, but said a "war against a capable peer competitor like China will consume munitions at greater rates. "
"Prewar inventories were already insufficient; the levels today will constrain U.S. operations should a future conflict arise," it said.
"Once Operation Epic Fury (against Iran) ends, the naval assets sent to the Middle East will return to the Pacific. Munitions inventories will start to recover, but restoring depleted stockpiles and then achieving the desired inventory levels will take many years," it added.
