Matt Bracken: The U.S. Is Losing the Iran War: A 21st-Century Conflict With a 20th-Century Military

Dialogue Works · Sep 10, 2026 · 56m

This interview analyzes the shifting dynamics of the US-Iran conflict, arguing that the US is struggling with an outdated 20th-century warfare model. While the US relies on expensive, vulnerable aircraft and carriers, Iran employs a highly effective "porcupine" strategy: mass-producing low-cost ballistic missiles and utilizing deep underground "missile cities" in granite mountains. The discussion covers recent regional escalations, the unsustainable cost of missile defense interceptors, the alarming rate of blast injuries among US troops, and the growing obsolescence of naval carrier groups…