Pengtagon actually does something right.

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Many readers are aware that the United States isn’t producing enough bombs and missiles, and across the press you’ll find resignation about American industrial capacity. So allow us to bring you a good news story: A new cheap American cruise missile developed in 16 months.

The Air Force says it has conducted a live-fire test of the Extended Range Attack Munition, known as ERAM. The missile was needed to help Ukraine pack more standoff firepower against Vladimir Putin’s imperial aggression. The weapon is being built by two defense tech companies and moved from initial contracting to testing in less than two years. This is miraculous in the world of military procurement.

A second achievement is low cost—by rough estimates ERAM may be $250,000 a pop versus other long-range fires that run into the millions for a single shot. This better price is crucial for having enough rounds to sustain a long fight, and improving the “cost curve” problem of expending pricey Western missiles to shoot down cheap drones and projectiles. Ukraine plans to buy up to 3,350 ERAMs. Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark are pitching in to help pick up the bill for Ukraine.

Nobody is hanging a mission accomplished banner on the industrial base, and 16 months is still a long time in a war of attrition. “We can do better than that, but that’s impressive,” as Mississippi GOP Sen. Roger Wicker said recently.

But the ERAM is a reminder that the U.S. can throw off the shackles of the Pentagon acquisitions bureaucracy when the stakes are significant. Too many in Washington are using American weapons shortfalls as an excuse to constrain the U.S. from defending its interests, including forcing a lousy peace in Ukraine. The Pentagon leaks to the press about potential missile shortages if the U.S. goes to war again with Iran is another example.

But the ERAM is a reminder that the world’s most dynamic economy can still make the choice and muster the ingenuity to defend itself and its allies if it wants to.

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