America’s Marathon War: Stockpiles, Allies, and a Modern Arsenal

Analyst Mahnken argues that U.S. wars are rarely quick; to prevail in extended conflicts (as with Iran), the United States must combine high-end capability with mass by expanding long-term munitions production, hardening bases, and strengthening the defense industrial base, while relying on allies and adopting new technologies (long-range munitions, directed energy, satellites) and layered defenses to deter and win protracted campaigns across multiple theaters.