Balance of Power

“Mr. Trump intended the attack on Iran as another demonstration of the American military’s extraordinary power, following the successful bombing raid on three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 and the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela from his bed in Caracas in January. But rather than enhance American power, the war has constrained it. The closing of bases in the Middle East and limiting the use of one in Britain have, at a minimum, vastly complicated the logistics of projecting power.” David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt in the NYT (Gift Article): Trump’s Retreat: From the Gulf to Britain, American Forces Pull Back.

+ I wrote about this issue yesterday. Bombers Away. “While small devices have been used to defeat larger enemies since David aimed his slingshot at Goliath, it would have been hard to imagine, even just a few years ago, a drone threat chasing B-1 bombers off of an American base. But times and tech have changed.”