William J. Astore, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and professor of history, is a senior fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, an organization of critical veteran military and national security professionals. His personal Substack is Bracing Views.
Pro-war hawks love to claim that the US military is “the greatest fighting force” in human history. It’s certainly exceptional in two ways: its obscene budget, and its ability to keep its record of death and destruction nearly invisible to the US public.
The United States has been losing the war in Afghanistan. Whether or not Trump delivers a “surge” of new troops there, he will continue to lose that war.