Torch said:

There’s never been more strategic air power outside the United States post Cold War, that I am aware of.

You’re absolutely right, this level of firepower concentrated outside the U.S. is unprecedented since the Cold War. Even during the 2003 invasion of Iraq while there was a massive deployment of forces it wasn’t this lopsided in terms of strategic air power.

What’s happening now is crazy. This is a rapid buildup of high end, precision strike capabilities; B-1s, B-52s, F-22s, F-35s, aircraft carriers, and now a surge of cargo planes moving supplies across multiple theaters. This kind of force projection isn’t about protracted ground war. This is about achieving air dominance and rapid destruction of high value targets with minimal if not no boots on the ground.

Even the buildup prior to Desert Storm in 1991 doesn’t compare to this, at least not in terms of raw aerial firepower positioned so quickly and so strategically. Back then, we had months to move everything into place. This is happening in weeks.

The only other comparison that even comes close might be the nuclear readiness posture during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but even that was a Cold War standoff, not an active lead up to a possible kinetic conflict like this.

If this is just about Iran’s nuclear facilities, the firepower is overkill. But if it’s about preparing for a wider regional war or deterring multiple adversaries (Iran, Hezbollah, Houthis, and maybe even Russia or China trying to take advantage), then this level of force projection makes sense.

 It's unnerving because this isn’t just a show of force, it’s preparation for something that could spiral well beyond a limited strike.