By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- U.S. military bases in South Korea, Japan and other countries in the Pacific are "highly vulnerable" to North Korean and Chinese missile and drone attacks, a U.S. expert has said, calling for efforts to strengthen air and missile defenses.

Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), made the remarks in an op-ed released by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, following reports that the United States is running low on key missile defense interceptors amid the Middle East war.

Noting that advancements in drone and missile warfare have pushed Ukraine and Russia to take extensive steps to protect their bases since their full-scale war began in 2022, Jones argued that the U.S. has been "too slow" to learn from the war and protect its bases and other infrastructure in the Middle East.

"The challenge in the Pacific is much greater. China presents a more serious threat than Iran with a larger and more capable stockpile of drones and cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missiles," he said.

"U.S. military bases and other infrastructure across the Pacific -- from Japan and the Philippines to Guam and South Korea -- are highly vulnerable to Chinese and North Korean missiles and drones," he added.

The expert called on the U.S. to get serious about protecting its critical infrastructure, stressing the need to take an array of steps, including increasing "active defenses," such as air defense systems that can identify, shoot down or otherwise disrupt incoming missiles and drones.

He also called for the U.S. to ramp up "passive defenses," such as digging underground facilities for vital infrastructure; increase its use of camouflage, concealment and deception; and disperse its military facilities to make it more difficult for potential adversaries to attack.

"The U.S. has already paid a huge price for being unprepared in a world where drones and missiles are ubiquitous. Will the U.S. military learn before the price escalates?" he said. "The Chinese, Iranians, North Koreans and Russians are waiting to see."

sshluck@yna.co.kr

(END)

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