The war between the United States and Israel against Iran has entered its sixth month. This week, the US redeployed its last aircraft carrier in Asia, the USS George Washington, from Japan to the Middle East. This follows previous moves to reallocate some components of the THAAD system from South Korea and reduce missile and ammunition stockpiles to support the war effort. William Yang, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, noted that these actions have weakened US power projection in Asia and its ability to counter the threat from China. Against this backdrop, the Chinese navy fleet has become increasingly active, and the China Coast Guard has increased its activities in waters east of Taiwan since June. In response to regional security challenges, US allies in Asia have begun to increase their defense spending. Taiwan has announced plans to raise its defense spending by 18% by 2027, and the Philippine Secretary of National Defense has called for defense spending to increase to 4% of GDP.