Washington DC, April 28 -- With the USA engulfed in a war of its own making against Iran, there is valid concern that the US military's capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region are being unnecessarily eroded, especially as China continues to cast a threatening pall over Taiwan.

In a US Congressional Armed Services Committee hearing on 21 April, Admiral Samuel J Paparo, who is Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), gave written and verbal testimony about the force posture of his vast command that stretches from east of Hawaii all the way west across the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

One of the biggest concerns about Operation Eric Fury against Iran is the depletion of American stocks of missiles and munitions that would be d...