Tracing the US military's learning curve on fighting Iran's drones: What to know

[Bluetus]

1. When we say "cheap drones", it may be important to understand

we are not generally talking about the $500 or $1000 drones you can buy on Amazon. Some of that may be used, mainly for surveillance. But normally "cheap drones" means something more like $20,000, purpose-built for warfare.

They are "cheap" because one $20,000 drone may destroy a $50,000,000 facility. Or it may force the US to shoot several Patriot missiles at $5,000,000 a pop.

We first got exposed to "asymmetric warfare" in Vietnam, where they used guerrilla tactics that were highly effective against our WWII systems and tactics. Now in 2026, asymmetric warfare is $20,000 drones against billion dollar Cold War weapons systems. We can make big booms and kill a lot of people, but we haven't won an asymmetric war, ever.

Another aspect of the asymmetry is the ability to control public opinion. Trump stupidly did nothing to sell this war to the American people. W and Cheney worked hard to sell the Iraq invasion, and when it happened, W's popularity jumped to 70%. This war is a turd with the American public. Trump's ratings are bombing, even before Americans face the worst of the gas prices.

But Iran must be smart. If they unleash terror attacks within the US, this will backfire and cause the American people to say, "Gee, I guess Trump was right. We really do have to kill all the Iranians." So far, the Iranians are playing it smart, much smarter than Trump, but this can change.