Reports say that senior military commanders had warned the White House that US weapons stocks were dangerously low. Particularly the interceptors needed to defend American forces and Gulf allies from Iranian retaliation. According to one report, the US has used nearly 80 percent of its THAAD interceptors and roughly half its Patriot missiles since the war began. Close to half the Tomahawk stockpile has also reportedly been expended, while the Army has used virtually all the ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles available for the conflict. So did diplomacy stop the attack or did the Pentagon conclude that the United States could strike Iran, but might struggle to defend against what came next?