US allies prepare for a shift East in Washington’s military posture

(Originally published Nov. 8 in “What in the World“) The wars go on.

Russia has adopted a new tactic in its war against Ukraine, using waves of lethal drones against Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine’s air defense systems managed to knock out most of the record 2,023 drones that Russia launched in October, but the sheer volume—aided by unarmed decoy drones—are increasingly overwhelming Ukraine’s ability to deflect them.

Israel, meanwhile, plans to expand its offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. As it steps up its assaults there, in Gaza and the West Bank, and braces for yet another retaliatory strike by Iran, Israel has in the past week also renewed airstrikes in Syria. conducting three against facilities there used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

Israel can likely count on even firmer support from Washington under the incoming administration of a newly re-elected Donald Trump. Just in case, it just pulled the trigger on Washington’s approval earlier this year for it to buy more U.S. fighter jets, ordering up 25 new F-15s. Ukraine and America’s allies in Europe, however, may not. Instead, Trump is likely to step up Washington’s view of China as archenemy, shifting the deployment of U.S. military assets from Europe to East Asia.