In the Trump administration’s telling, its missile strike on a Syrian airfield and its dropping of the so-called mother of all bombs over Afghanistan were more than military missions.

They were a signal of American resolve, and of President Trump’s willingness to use force, that would deter adversaries worldwide.

“The world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a speech in South Korea, adding, “North Korea would do well not to test his resolve.”

Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to the president, went further, saying the American attack on a Syrian air base served as a warning to leaders in Russia, Iran and North Korea: “With just one strike, that message was sent to all those capitals, all those people.”