The U.S. military is stretched thin after 13 days of strikes on Iran, with Patriot interceptor stocks dropping below 1,000 and top commanders warning that further escalation puts American troops and Gulf allies at serious risk. CENTCOM chief Brad Cooper told the Pentagon the bombing campaign had run out of useful targets, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine flagged that dwindling air-defense supplies could leave U.S. bases dangerously exposed. This war has drained missile-defense systems, spiked consumer prices and piled on debt — and the pause proves the limits of the campaign.