Bryan Clark appears on ChinaTalk to discuss the United States military build-up in the Middle East and the importance of getting a return on investment for such a large-scale deployment. Clark notes that direct financial cost may not currently be substantial, but there may be long-term budgeting challenges if large, sustained deployments continue.
Caption
Cover: Edited version of US Air Force, US Navy, and US Marine Corps aircraft along with US Army Patriot missile batteries line up on the runway for an elephant walk during a routine operational readiness exercise at Kadena Air Base in Japan on May 6, 2025. (US Air Force)