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Kudos, I think we probably don't do enough of this. I certainly don't.
Why not look at it holistically? What good is military success if it can't enable a good political outcome?
Take Afghanistan for instance. The US took most of the country off the Taliban in a few months, installed a new government. They won every battle. But if the military success doesn't translate into political success, then it's not useful.
Consider this thread for instance, it's very long but skimmable: https://x.com/cryptochondrion/status/1433917591651770375
War is about politics. They're inseparably linked, like the engines and the aircraft. A good plane without engines is hardly an aircraft. For all of the US's strength in achieving military victories, there's a serious weakness in the political arm, performing hard imperialism.
Interesting thread. One part I find worthy of remarking on is this:
I've noticed this before, but have never heard anyone else bring it up. US soldiers in the Vietnam War looked like normal dudes. US soldiers in the 21st century look like weird aliens. I know it's because the technology has changed, the soldiers have more armor now, they have night vision scopes, and so on. But I feel like it creates a branding problem: modern US soldiers visually look like the bad guys in a movie, like cyborgs from an evil empire. I mean, I'd rather that they control my village than have the Taliban control it, but I'm a social liberal. I don't know how others see it.
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