>>509943893The Punic wars were real wars. It wasn't about defeating the enemy's military forces and then having some meeting, occupying their land with a garrison, reparations, disarming them, or any of that bullshit. It was about exterminating them as a people. All of them. Civilians, women, and children. Totally obliterating their language, religion and culture. Wiping out their genetics and populating their land with your own
What we have in the modern age is theater. Half measures which ensure forever wars will continue across the generations. No, not even half measures actually, more like 10%.
One of the few modern military western thinkers was Bomber Harris, who correctly identified the German people as the enemy, not just the Wehrmacht.
If wars were fought like the Punic wars then either wars would not happen, because the stakes are just too high, or if they did happen the resolution would be permanent.
Its why the West has such difficulty "winning" conflicts in the Middle East. They people they invade still see war as an existential crisis. They keep fighting, using absolutely any means at their disposal, including their own women and children, the war is never over until they have won. Now if the USA had gone into Afghanistan, for example, and just systemically worked its way across the country exterminating every person in sight, and then imported ten million of its own civilians to colonize the land, then that would be victorious war. But that's politically impossible with western society. Which is why they lose before they even begin.
>>509944304From what you and others have said about the effects of sleep deprivation and constant exposure to combat stress it sounds like the military is grossly incompetent in managing the efficiency of its combat soldiers. Considering the tooth-to-tail ratio of the US army is as high as 10:1 there should be adequate rotation of front line troops.