When $30,000 Drones Defeat Million-Dollar Defenses

A $30,000 Iranian drone just obliterated a tens-of-millions-dollar American radar system. In Kuwait, six U.S. soldiers died when an Iranian strike hit their command facility with no warning. In Bahrain, a lone drone penetrated the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. This isn't a Hollywood script—it's what happened during Trump's supposedly dominant bombing campaign against Iran.

"You have air defenses, and a lot's coming in, and you hit most of it," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explained at a news conference. "Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately—we call it a squirter—that makes its way through." Yet the failure to strengthen defenses at facilities so close to Iran represents a curious lapse in planning.

The Roman Parallel

When complex systems begin to decay, the first signs are usually subtle. In the third century, after the Roman Empire reached its geographic peak, literacy started declining across Roman society. Education levels fell not just among soldiers, but among officers, aristocrats, and even emperors.

The Roman army still looked formidable for years afterward. It had good equipment and could march effectively. Yet it was no longer as advanced relative to Rome's enemies as it once had been. It fought as hard as ever, but less effectively.

U.S. military capabilities remain far superior to Iran's. But certain developments in the American bombing campaign—against a country seemingly rendered almost helpless after Israel destroyed most of its air defenses last year—are revealing what look like signs of strain.

When Technology Gaps Narrow

American military supremacy over foreign rivals is built on intensive training and advanced technology manipulation. Yet Hegseth has been emphasizing lethality and warrior ethos instead of learning and reflection, even blocking U.S. military personnel from taking courses at elite American universities.

The events of the past week underscore how shows of force alone may not defeat even militarily inferior enemies. In Bahrain, that single Iranian drone penetrated the headquarters overseeing 2.5 million square miles of ocean. The incoming weapon destroyed an AN/TPS-59 radar unit designed to provide 360-degree air surveillance for U.S. forces.

In one moment, Iranian equipment costing perhaps $30,000 devastated U.S. military hardware worth tens of millions.

The Alliance Fracture

Perhaps more concerning than technological vulnerabilities is the diplomatic isolation. When Trump announced the Iran bombing campaign, European states conspicuously refrained from endorsing the operations. The leaders of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom jointly declared they weren't participating in the strikes.

Britain has reluctantly agreed to let the U.S. use a base on Cyprus, but this limited help clearly disappointed the Trump administration. This week, Trump belittled the "special relationship" with Britain as "obviously not what it was."

Hegseth complained that America's traditional allies "wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force." But he and Trump should hardly be surprised. The president has repeatedly cozied up to Vladimir Putin—democratic Europe's greatest security threat—and sought to take Greenland from Denmark, another longtime ally.

The Friendly Fire Question

A separate incident hints at different vulnerabilities. On Sunday, three F-15E aircraft were shot down in a single friendly-fire incident over Kuwait. These were among the Air Force's more advanced aircraft. Fortunately, no crew members died, but the mysterious event raises uncomfortable questions.

Were the three F-15Es flying so close together that they could all be taken out at once? How well were American forces communicating with Kuwaiti allies? Perhaps it resulted from a moment of confusion, but America's ability to collaborate effectively with other countries is very much in doubt under Trump.