The US has the strongest, largest, best trained and educated, best equipped military in the history of the world, with land, sea, air superiority; with superior technology, cyber capability, satellite communications, logistics and intelligence capability over the rest of the world combined. It's undeniable. Our nuclear capacity could destroy the world numerous times...
Other countries who are friendly, buy our hardware. Our military provides training, equipment and support to our allies. Enemies who have tried to develop their own weapons have tried to steal our secrets. Foreign produced weapons have been proven inferior, in side-by-side tests.
And, yet, we're weak when some third world dictator fires off a few rockets, testing technology that we surpassed a few decades ago, ineffectively and without actual damage to us or our friends. The US has unquestioned leadership in the world, and is looked up to because of our restraint in unleashing our war machine. Our feelings of weakness are fantasies our leaders feed us, when they become insecure and need to flex some muscles. Kinda like using a shotgun in a crowded room to kill a bee... The wise warrior knows that war is the last resort.