'Slow-Motion Defeat': Iran Found the Weak Spot in U.S. Power, and It Wasn't Aircraft Carriers or Fighter Jets. It Was the Bases.

Key Points:

• Iranian missile and drone attacks on US bases in the Persian Gulf this year have exposed significant vulnerabilities in America's regional military logistics, causing more damage than initially disclosed and potentially leading to the US not returning to some facilities.
• Despite America's technological superiority, Iranian forces successfully overwhelmed US missile defenses through sheer volume of cheap air attacks, highlighting the difficulty of defending large fixed targets against cost-effective offensive air power.
• The conflict reveals that current military airpower technology favors offense over defense, as missile defense systems are costly and limited in effectiveness against waves of inexpensive drones and missiles.
• The US should view its experience in the Gulf as a lesson to shift focus from the Middle East to the more critical challenge posed by China in East Asia, where US bases in South Korea, Okinawa, and Guam face similar but potentially greater vulnerabilities.
• To maintain strategic advantage, the US must develop a more robust and layered defense infrastructure in East Asia beyond reliance on a few large bases, preparing for a more intense and capable Chinese threat.