In July, the U.S. Marine Corps activated its first-ever Tomahawk cruise missile battery. While Tomahawks are primarily used by the Navy, this land-based configuration, launched from 4×4 trucks, offers several advantages over its ship-based counterparts. These advantages include striking moving targets at a range of 1,000 miles and higher effectiveness at a lower cost.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan breaks down the significance of the land-based Tomahawk, explaining why it represents the most important military evolution he has witnessed in the U.S. military over the past four decades.

Excerpted from Peter’s Aug. 28 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

Suppose we were taking bets on what’s going to do in China. We’d probably hear about the usual suspects: Advanced stages of demographic collapse, failing economic models, or being the country most dependent on open sea lanes and international markets.

All of those are top contenders, but let me throw in a wild card – a bunch of marines in trucks – with four Tomahawks strapped to each truck. I agree if that sounds like a random G.I. Joe creation to you. But this is a relatively new capability for the US, so let me explain how we got here.

Back in the day, the Soviets and the US signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. This kept both sides from developing weapon systems like the one above. If it wasn’t obvious, the Russians have backed away from said treaty.

The lesson here is that if you want to get out of a treaty with the US, that’s fine; just remember that the Americans will also be ditching those restrictions…and the US military has more money, better tech, and will get there faster than you.

And if I was a gambling man, well…