Note though my caveat in the original question; "...the commitment of troops in any thing
more than token numbers? (emphasis added / kw).
Far more important than that issue, I think, is my follow on question; how do we get that --
"the threat from X justifies the costs and risks of dealing with it using method Y." -- to happen routinely?
I fully understand most of the parameters in strategic decision making -- and am more conversant than I wish to be with the domestic political dimension -- but there should be a way to force that issue on reluctant Administrations (not to mention Congress. Shudder...
) and hopefully to do so with knowledgeable and competent assessment of the costs and risks.
I say hopefully because I also fully understand the great difficulty in such assessments and I would never expect perfection. War will never be fully predictable and the unexpected is the norm. I also say hopefully because of the equally great difficulty of getting knowledgeable and competent people involved in such assessments as opposed to getting the judgment from whoever happens to be in position at the time...
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