Gulf states must rethink trillion-dollar defence in light of US-Iran war, says report

IISS study questions overreliance on American support and ‘overdependence on expensive, high-end systems’ Gulf states are going to have to reconfigure their trillion-dollar defences given the damage inflicted on their economies and the questionable continued value of US bases in the face of Iranian attack, according to a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The report says that in the weeks before the 8 April ceasefire, 12 regional states, overwhelmingly in the Gulf, faced 4,670 Iranian one-way attack drones and more than 1,400 ballistic missiles. Nearly half were aimed at the United Arab Emirates. Although the vast majority were repelled, one estimate of the damage to energy infrastructure cited by the report is put as high as $58bn (£43bn). Continue reading...

国际战略研究所报告指出，美伊战争暴露了海湾国家万亿美元防务投入的短板：对美制防空系统过度依赖、区域防务整合缺失，而美国基地反而成为伊朗攻击的借口。报告认为海湾国家需重新配置防务体系，美国国内也在讨论是否重建被毁基地。