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In 2023, Jennifer Kavanaugh and Jordan Cohen wrote, “The True Military Assistance Tradeoff is Between Israel and Taiwan,” where they argued Washington should place clear boundaries on its military aid to Israel to preserve capabilities essential to deterring China in the Indo-Pacific. Three years later, amidst heightened tensions across multiple theaters, we asked Jennifer to revisit their arguments.Image: Chad McNeeley, Office of the Secretary of Defense Public AffairsIn your 2023 article, “The True Military Assistance Tradeoff is Between Israel and Taiwan,” you argued Washington should place clear boundaries on its military aid to Israel to preserve capabilities essential to deterring China in the Indo-Pacific. Three years later, given the state of heightened tensions in multiple theaters, where does your assessment stand? Does the Israel–Taiwan tradeoff still define the core strategic dilemma in military assistance?The situation is much more serious now than it was when this article was originally written. Back then, I was most concerned about tradeoffs between recipients of American military aid. Now, I think the central tradeoff is between the munitions and materiel the United States has available to restock its own depleted arsenals and what it can afford to give to partners like Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine.Air defense interceptors are the most acute example. After four years of aiding Ukraine and following its assistance to Israel in the 12-day war, the United States may not have sufficient air defense munitions to protect American forces in the event of a major war, whether in Asia or in the Middle East. Yet, instead of focusing on refilling America’s arsenals, air defense munitions continue to go to Ukraine, Israel, and other partners in the Middle East, reducing what the United States can use to replenish its own supplies, let alone what it provides Taiwan, a sentiment expressed to President Trump by