The Monocle Daily The widening global conflict at the US diverts South Korean missile defences to the Middle East
Mar 11, 2026
Michael Peel, Science Editor at the Financial Times, offers defence and tech perspective. Daniela Pellet, Managing Editor at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, brings conflict and humanitarian expertise. They dissect the US redeploying THAAD missiles from South Korea to the Middle East. They debate strained alliances, limited military resources, regional spillovers from Afghanistan and accountability for war crimes.
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Global Wars Force Tactical Resource Reallocations
- The Gulf war is straining global military resources and forcing reallocation beyond the region.
- The US is dismantling a THAAD system in South Korea to send to the Middle East, alarming Seoul and pleasing adversaries like North Korea, China and Russia.
Finite Military Resources Create Strategic Vulnerabilities
- Even the most powerful militaries have finite resources and shifting priorities create strategic gaps allies notice.
- Daniela Pellet highlights staff conversations across the Middle East about who will run out of arms first and Ukraine's worry about diverted supplies.
Lack Of Clear Strategy Undermines Allied Confidence
- The US appears to lack a coherent, publicly visible long-term strategy for the campaign, producing contradictory goals.
- Michael Peel notes no clear planning across the US system or Congress, leaving allies uncertain and goals muddled.