Since the end of the Cold War, America has been the world’s supreme power. The idea that the United States could be taken down militarily by any other country is simply implausible. US invincibility, indeed, has spawned the concept of asymmetric warfare: instead of trying to overwhelm an enemy, you prod relentlessly at its weak points. This has changed the world from one in which organized warfare would break out between the major powers from time to time to one where peace has to be maintained against the constant hum of terrorism and guerrilla action.

It comes as a shock, then, to learn that the US has apparently all but run out of long-range precision missiles. Reuters reports that supplies of army tactical missile systems and precision strike missiles have been exhausted by the long campaign in Iran. Meanwhile, the Center for Strategic and International Studies is reporting that stocks of Tomahawk missiles have dwindled by half and that defensive missiles have also been depleted, with Patriot interceptors down 65 percent and THAAD missiles down 38 percent since the beginning of the Iran conflict.

Trump has undermined America’s ability to control its adversaries through deterrence

Trump has undermined America’s ability to control its adversaries through deterrence

The consequences of this should not be exaggerated. It doesn’t mean that Vladimir Putin could now march in and plant the Russian flag on the White House lawn. The American nuclear arsenal remains untouched and it........

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