Trump launched a war with Iran while already knowing the US had run low on the missile interceptors needed to defend against Iranian attacks, a reckless gamble framed as bad for American security.

• The US had only minutes to shoot down incoming Iranian ballistic missiles, and it was burning through interceptors it can't easily replace.
• Weeks before the attack, Trump himself warned that America's defense manufacturing had "withered down to nothing" and couldn't supply a major conflict.
• He went to war anyway, meaning the country was fighting with a shrinking stockpile of the exact weapons it needed most.
• Ukraine can't fill the gap — it is also desperate for the same Patriot interceptors and won't get enough before winter.

Outlook: With interceptors running short and factories unable to keep up, the US risks being unable to defend against sustained missile attacks if the fighting drags on.