Never Get Into a Land War in Asia

Wars need to be fought with ends that can be achieved by the forces available. Donald Rumsfeld once said, “You go to war with the Army you have. They’re not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” I think that is a fundamental misunderstanding of war. You do not engage in war if the army you have is insufficient. When you understand the foundations of American military capability and its limits in Eurasia, Gates’ view on war in the Eastern Hemisphere is far more sound than Rumsfeld’s.

Occupations are an expensive endeavor and it takes a shitload of troops to quell a rebellion. That is probably the reason why, when rebellions are quashed, it is the local troops (or a civil war) that does it.