Topline
The South Korean President on Tuesday acknowledged reports that the U.S. may move some of its advanced air defense systems currently deployed in the Korean peninsula to the Middle East, noting that his government is opposed to the move while acknowledging that it may not have a say in the matter, as the intensifying conflict with Iran has raised concerns about America’s weapons stockpiles.
Photo caption: Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Key Facts
On Monday, the Washington Post reported that the military is “rerouting assets from other parts of the world,” after consuming munitions worth $5.6 billion in the first two days of the conflict with Iran.
The report noted that the Pentagon is moving parts of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system—an anti-ballistic missile defense system—from South Korea to the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) “may dispatch some air defense systems abroad in accordance with its own military needs,” depending on how the “situation unfolds.”
Lee then said, “While we have expressed opposition, the reality is that we cannot fully push through our position.”
However, the South Korean president added that it expects the USFK to “fully contribute to stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” and any such move will not impact its deterrence capability against North Korea.
Key Background
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that while planning the U.S. operation against Iran, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine flagged concerns with the country’s stockpile of munitions. Caine reportedly warned that an extended conflict could severely deplete the U.S. military’s stockpile of precision weapons, which were already under strain from supporting Ukraine, Israel and other military operations in the past few years. The main concerns were about the stock of air defense weaponry, which is critical in protecting against Iran’s wave of ballistic missile drone attacks on neighboring Middle Eastern states.
What Has Trump Said About U.s. Ammunition Stockpiles?
President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about America’s weapons stockpiles last week in a post on Truth Social: “The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better…we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons. Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies.” The president, however, conceded: “At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be. Much additional high grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries.” The president then attacked his predecessor Joe Biden, accusing him of spending “all of his time, and our Country’s money, GIVING everything to…Zelenskyy of Ukraine.”
Tangent
In a post on X on Monday, the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) showed off its advanced rocket artillery system HIMARS and wrote: “U.S. Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) provide unrivaled deep-strike capability in combat against the Iranian regime.” In response to the post, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tweeted: “Thank you CENTCOM for admitting that you are using our neighbors’ territory to deploy HIMARS systems against our people, apparently including a desalination plant. Nobody should complain if our powerful missiles destroy these systems wherever they are in retribution.” The threat appeared to signal that Iran’s strikes on U.S.-allied Gulf nations are likely to continue.
=== Forbes ===
