As the conflict in Iran continues, people dependent on U.S. military deterrence elsewhere have begun to worry about its effect on the U.S.’s defensive capacity. A Guam Daily Post article quoting CERL Executive Board Member Joseph Votel notes that nuclear attack submarines from the Navy’s Seventh Fleet, usually stationed in Japan and Guam, have been quietly relocating to the Middle East to support the naval blockade of Iran as regional capacity depletes. By some estimates, the United States has used up two-thirds of its stock of missile defense interceptor capacity, which could pose a serious problem in future conflict with adversaries like China.

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command. He is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his bio here.

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