Washington: A senior Pentagon official emphasized on Tuesday that the U.S. military's "flexibility" to redeploy assets globally to meet urgent needs is a significant strength of the U.S. defense system. This statement came amidst concerns regarding the reported movement of a South Korea-based missile defense asset to the Middle East.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, addressed these concerns during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. This followed a report by The Washington Post indicating that the Pentagon was transferring parts of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the Middle East in response to the conflict with Iran. Duffey remarked, "I think our flexibility and our ability to redeploy assets to ensure that they meet the most poignant and urgent need across the globe is a tremendous strength of our system."
Duffey's comments were in response to an inquiry from Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) regarding the duration of the THAAD asset's redeployment to the Middle East. While he did not provide specifics on the timeframe, he reaffirmed the United States' dedication to its alliance with South Korea. "I think there is a full commitment for us to maintain that alliance with South Korea and provide whatever capability that we can," Duffey stated.
During the hearing, Rep. Bera expressed his apprehensions about the reported THAAD redeployment, particularly in light of North Korea's military threats. He noted that South Korea faced significant challenges due to China's opposition to its hosting of the THAAD battery. "Our friends and allies in South Korea paid a real price for it because China did use their economic coercive tools to directly impact the South Korean economy, which they are still struggling to recover from," Bera commented, adding his "real concerns at a time where we still see North Korea saber-rattling."