On July 17, an Iranian missile strike killed three U.S. servicemembers at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a stark reminder of the cost of President Donald Trump’s war of choice in the Middle East. Their deaths were avoidable, just as the strategy that put them in harm’s way was and remains reversible. Such forward deployments are always a “safe” option until missiles and drones rain down, highlighting the importance of withdrawing American troops from the region and ending this disastrous war.

The recent Breaking Defense response to Lt Gen David Deptula's "Altitude Is Not Strategy" article critiques an argument he never makes while advancing a more consequential claim: that recent conflicts require a reconsideration of foundational airpower theory. The authors contend that persistent adversary strategic effects, proliferating low-altitude threats, and emerging technologies expose deficiencies in enduring concepts such as air superiority and justifying new frameworks, including the "air littoral."

Last Year’s Attacks on Iran Showed American Capabilities Are Impressive – but Also Fragile