Air defense clarifies the cost-versus-reward logic behind fortification. Firing a multimillion-pound missile at a cheap drone can look wasteful if the two weapons are compared alone. The relevant comparison includes the damage the drone could inflict on the defended target, so spending millions can be rational when it protects an asset worth billions. Coastal defense follows the same logic by reducing risk to valuable objectives and forcing an attacker to spend more for the same result.
Notable Point · 2:52:00-2:53:25
Defensive cost is measured against the asset at risk
A costly interceptor can still be economical when it protects a target worth far more, so the attacker's cheap weapon is the wrong comparison by itself.