I think it will drag on for a while.
It is hard to say how long it will be before an attack is made. The issue to look at is the cost of maintaining the 3 aircraft carriers, support ships and hundreds of aircraft on the islands waiting for the attack. If they don’t make an attack within a reasonable amount of time the cost will keep building, and if they leave altogether, it will be considered a waste of money and the experts will feel it will have to be dealt with again in time anyway. It boils down to financial issues and long term strategies.