2025.04.09

• Europe & Americas

Why deploying U.S. Army in the Middle East can strengthen deterrence in the Western Pacific(Geoeconomic Briefing)

Under the first Trump administration and the Biden administration, U.S. military strategy sought to reduce engagement in the Middle East and shift focus to the Western Pacific to deter China. However, this attempt has effectively failed. Following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the United States was forced to deploy air defense missile systems to Israel and dispatch multiple carrier strike groups to the Middle East at the expense of readiness in the Western Pacific. Although a ceasefire in Gaza has stabilized the Middle East, Iran’s weakened proxy network could drive it to accelerate nuclear development. If that occurs, regional tensions will rise, and the United States may need to redeploy its forces to the Middle East. With less than two years until 2027—the year by which the U.S. military fears China may be capable of invading Taiwan—the United States cannot afford to weaken its commitment to the Western Pacific by diverting forces elsewhere at the cost of its presence and readiness in this theater. The key challenge that the new Trump administration faces is how to effectively allocate limited military resources across multiple strategic fronts while maintaining deterrence. The U.S. Army appears to hold the key to solving this issue.