David vs. Goliath: Cost Asymmetry in Warfare

While cost asymmetry has always played a role in tactical warfare, we now face more strategic questions because it is so cheap to attack and so expensive to defend.

In January 2025, the U.S. Navy disclosed that it has fired more than 200 missiles to repel Houthi attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

This includes 120 SM-2 missiles priced at around $2.1 million each, eighty SM-6 missiles at $3.9 million apiece, and twenty Evolved Sea Sparrow and SM-3 missiles estimated to cost between $9.6 million and $27.9 million each, as well as 160 rounds from 5-inch naval guns.

Of course, the comparison is not as simple as measuring a million-dollar interceptor against a thousand-dollar drone.