Mr. Hennigan writes about national security for Opinion.

The U.S. military was once a tool of last resort for American presidents.

The tough decision to deploy armed troops for conflict in another country came after diplomacy, political pressure and other peaceful options were exhausted. This clearly doesn’t hold true in the second Trump administration.

In a short video posted on Saturday morning, President Trump stood in a darkened room at a lectern in a white “U.S.A.” hat and announced that the United States military had begun........

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