When it comes to Iran, if it's in the Persian Gulf it's probably a message. If it's in the Arabian Sea it's a threat. You don't want to be in that maritime killing bottle if you think the shooting war is getting ready to pop off.

But it's quite the power move to transit the STROH knowing Iran won't do s*** about it.

If you are Iran, you want that carrier in the Persian Gulf where you know you can throw enough ASCMs at it to get something through. If it's sitting in the Arabian Sea, outside of your range, that's more of an issue.

Same kind of goes for the Ticos. You'll need to shoot an awful lot of missiles to be sure you kill it. But shoot enough and you'll get it. But that's the point of presence missions, which is why the fact that China can hit our ships doesn't really change much.

Peacetime presence isn't about being safe and our ships are not built to be invincible. It's about influencing the situation, raising the bar for mischief. As @ConsWahoo is fond of saying, it's beating American hearts inside a capital warship.

So, sure, 400 missile tubes are there to let you know your day could be quickly ruined, it's not to message that we are somehow invincible. It's a reminder of the stakes of starting some mess.