Frustrated by the lack of progress in his war with Iran, President Donald Trump is stuck in a cycle of threatened retaliation and retreat. Officially, Trump’s restraint is intended to give ongoing diplomatic talks space. Unofficially, however, Trump’s hesitancy to go all-in has a more troubling cause: warnings from the Pentagon about the sufficiency of U.S. missile stockpiles.
Reporting on such concerns, expressed to the president by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, has fed two widely disseminated narratives: First, that the United States has a “shortage” of the missiles necessary to continue fighting in the Middle East. Second, that this information was inappropriately leaked to the public and has compromised the U.S. bargaining position.
Neither storyline is accurate, but understanding why they misstate the reality is vital to any conversation about the costs of the war in Iran for the United States.
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