Subject: The effects of projecting strength
Summarized:

https://news.yahoo.com/news/ir...

The flak jacket isn't the point. This is the point:

Iran has ordered its proxy forces across the Middle East to exercise caution as the Islamic Republic fears an existential threat following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, The Telegraph has learned.

Officials have told commanders of Iran-backed militias to avoid provocative actions that could escalate regional tensions.

Commanders have also been instructed to maintain defensive positions while avoiding any actions that could be interpreted as aggressive by US forces or regional allies.

Indeed.
It was absurd that we allowed a 3rd-rate militia to fire rockets - hundreds of them - at civilian and US Navy vessels in the Red Sea. That did a great job of reducing stocks of valuable weapons that we'd need against an enemy in our weight class.

No more of that. No more praying that somebody doesn't make a mistake and we lose several hundred sailors and a very valuable warship. The proper response to somebody taking potshots at the US military is overwhelming force with an emphasis on lethality.