Conditioned for War
Or I'm Rounding Up, But Let's Not Quibble.
I’m a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network. It’s a fine collection of military and intelligence veterans as well as academics who strive to educate and promote intelligent statecraft tied to stopping unnecessary military forays. My colleagues and I have one mission, to help prevent needless wars, or at least make people aware of the folly of waging them in terms of blood and treasure, never mind political disaster. You can learn more about our work at the EMN website.
This week, two of my EMN friends, Matthew Hoh and Bill Astore, New Englander’s no less, published excellent analysis pieces pertaining to the Iran war and America’s military writ large. They each produce articulated and thoughtful articles every week and I encourage people to subscribe to their work.
Matt’s latest interview enumerates how the military industrial complex entwines corporate sponsors and the entertainment industry to entice recruits, propagate war, and perpetuate America’s involvement in military adventurism. I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit it all worked on me, too.
We’re 0-3 in 21st Century wars to the tune of trillions of dollars. Only in the U.S. can we repackage these into victories or something noble. We haven’t won anything and this is akin to a drunk who got his ass handed to him at the bar he was thrown out of running back inside and telling people to line up for their ass kicking.
“We are who we are,” elitists muse smugly at cocktail parties as the money is squandered. The overarching message is that America is inviolate and always right regardless of a tragic outcome.
Just think about it. We started a war under dubious premises. Blustered we’d won. Keep complaining Iran will not yield to our demands. Can’t end it. Spent $billions better utilized for refurbishment of, say, the recently refurbished Reflection Pool and then declared victory so many times while violating any ceasefire agreement that people believe it. There’s a Monty Python sketch in here somewhere.
Iran closed and owns passage through the Straits of Hormuz. The current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will not hold until Israel ceases its assault on Southern Lebanon, a key tenant in reopening said Straits. You can’t make this shit up when your ostensible ally subverts your negotiating team by not supporting or honoring the terms of the agreement.
Scott Monty sums it up perfectly.
One of Bill’s posts this week focuses on the cost of war in the human sense by way of justifying budgetary increases to enable the killing of whomever we deem are enemies. This can be nebulous and lead to suspect or questionable engagements as we’ve seen in the Caribbean and in Iran. These are also known as war crimes.
When I served as a Ground Force Commander in Afghanistan, I lived in mortal fear of inflicting civilian casualties, also called CIVCAS. It was always a consideration and the calculus for employing aerial delivered ordnance put civilians at the forefront of battles fought with an elusive enemy.
CIVCAS incidents led to an immediate investigation. Officers were relieved of command and cashiered out of the military for even unknowingly or inadvertently dropping bombs on civilians (woe to those who did so deliberately or abetted a CIVCAS incident) during combat engagements. I don’t know how many careers ended over it, the moral injury of doing so notwithstanding.
This is totally normal, acceptable even, under Trump and Hegseth. Witness the Minab school bombing where more than 170 people were killed, the majority of them young girls.
Trump isn’t going to hold anyone accountable because, “war is nasty” and it isn’t anyone’s fault. Well, actually, it is someone’s fault, but again, that’s the point. It doesn’t register. “It’s just how it is,” some might utter as “mistakes are made,” according to Donald Trump.
And the money continues to flow. That’s by design.
To date, we’re on our way to spending half a trillion dollars. That’s what the war with Iran has/will cost if the MOU is ever honored. Breaking it down, it’s ~$80 billion for daily war costs, but coupled with the amount of expended ordnance that must be replaced it’s probably twice as high, so let’s call it $160 billion. Tie in $300 billion in restitution funds payable to the Iranians and, rounding up, we have a cool half-trillion bill that you, my fellow taxpayer, will foot. Not the war industry. Not the bankers. Not those who benefit from every conflict we fight. You, the everyday, hard working American.
But maybe the problem isn’t the price tag—we’ll pay for it regardless. Maybe the problem is the war themselves being so interwoven into our National fabric that we can’t see anything else? It isn’t that we don’t have the money, it’s that if it isn’t being utilized for war—tied to National security and GDP, always a salient selling point— it’s a waste if otherwise obligated. This part is irrelevant and irrespective. Both sides of our political aisle do it.
The money could be better spent on, well, anything, but how wild would it be if our Nation used its immense wealth and economic power in peaceful pursuits? Crazy, I know.
This begs the question, what has this bought us?
We’ve lost a ton of international standing and capital as our bullying and saber rattling is seen as bluster. Our alliances are weakened and our global relationships have ruptured while simultaneously upending the rule of law. We aren’t as good as we say we are. The damage to our partnerships will outlast Trump. Who would trust the United States after this?
We hide or downplay our casualties and wrap them in the guise of patriotism and sacrifice. Say anything about the needless loss of life and continued risk to force and you impugn the brave service member and their going where other’s will not. Thank you for serving so I and/or my kids don’t have to, in other words. It puts veterans like me in an uncomfortable position. I’m proud of my service, but my eyes are open. Such a juxtaposition.
Add that to the burgeoning deficit now hovering ~$40 trillion due to a quarter century of unmitigated warfare, a dollar losing value coupled with increased inflation, national debt in the form of treasury bonds that are too risky for foreign investors to assume, and we’re so far behind in the race we think we’re winning. “Ho hum. That’s America for you,” people shrug so long as gas for our SUV’s and accompanying boats doesn’t climb too high.
Indeed, because the wars keep going. And they will because we’re the good guys, remember? It’s how we’re conditioned from our youngest age with every piece of the U.S. apparatus behind it.
It’s just how it is.
Thanks for sticking with me.
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A dead giveaway was how the DOGE targeted everything but the Pentagon for cuts. And the Pentagon has failed eight audits in a row!
Conditioned for permanent war we are, to use Yoda-like word order.
Thanks, Ivan, for your writing and your honesty.