Does the US have a serious weapons shortage? S5E98 08.19.2026

Heiner, from Berlin, Germany writes,  

Unless anyone was wondering, there is very little public support here for President Trump’s war in Iran, and by all accounts, Americans are growing even less supportive as the conflict drags on with no clear end in sight.  

During wartime, my countrymen and I understand the need for strategic secrecy; you’ve mentioned this many times on the podcast. But we’re now seeing increasing coverage questioning U.S. armament levels and the depletion of American stockpiles.  

Even acknowledging that the true state of U.S. weapons reserves is obscured by the fog of war, some of President Trump’s recent moves have caught my attention. He threatens major strikes, then abruptly backs off. He pivots from military escalation to talk of “total economic strangulation” as the primary tool of pressure.  

So, here’s my question to the panel: Is this shift toward economic warfare a signal that U.S. weapons stockpiles may be in worse condition than many assume? Is the administration recalibrating strategy because the military toolbox is more limited than officials are willing to publicly admit?  If America has weakened itself by engaging in this stupid war, how vulnerable do you think America is?  How vulnerable is Europe to Russian aggression if America can’t even muster the weapons necessary to end the war in Iran? And what about the rest of the world? Is China looking on and planning something?