The United States has been locked into unconventional wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for several decades. Along with counterterrorism operations in Somalia, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, and Libya, one could argue America has not achieved its true objectives in these theaters.
Being bogged down in perpetual unconventional conflicts was unsuccessful in several nations and took away from the central focus of the United States Armed Forces—being the world’s most at-ready conventional military.
Geopolitical Rivals Taking Advantage of Perpetual War
Destabilization in the Middle East only gave life to terrorist organizations such as ISIS and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). China has dramatically increased its military capabilities and been ever-more provocative across East Asia, taking advantage of America’s ill-advised military ventures.
During the past decades of unconventional war, Russia exploited global discontent toward U.S. foreign policy. Reasserting their foothold over Syria, Russian Forces successfully propped up Bashar al-Assad with an intense and brutal air campaign. Russian mercenaries, known as the Wagner Group, attempted to overrun a U.S. Special Operations Outpost in 2018 but were quickly annihilated.
Many of America’s global allies, particularly those in Eastern Europe and East Asia, feel the brunt of the imperialistic ambitions of Russia and China, respectively, and an American focus on conventional conflicts again can help turn the tide against geopolitical rivals.
Nation Building Was a Failure Due to the Cultural History
The aftermath of WWII saw a large contingent of U.S. Forces permanently stationed in Japan and Germany, with postwar reconstruction in both nations. Rebuilding Japan and West Germany (as the Soviets held the East) was relatively simple. These nations had a unified culture, and the fall of the ultranationalists would lead to democratic governments and values.
Nation-building in Afghanistan and Iraq was a quagmire due to a lack of understanding of the region and cultural situation. Afghanistan and Iraq were always powder legs of various ethnic groups consolidated into unstable borders from the age of colonialism.
The Taliban, using their close relations with Pakistani intelligence and Qatar’s diplomats, would hold out in safe havens along the non-patrolled tribal borders until the U.S. withdrawal. Likewise, in Iraq, sectarian tensions heightened as Iranian-backed Shiite politicians ignited religious tensions with the minority Sunnis, leading to a wave of terrorist organizations that degraded U.S. stabilization plans.
Conventional Wars is What America Excels At
Though political objectives failed in wars such as Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, it is essential to note the U.S. technically never lost a battle in either of these wars. Where America failed was being consumed in nation-building and perpetual conflicts that benefitted guerrillas that practiced asymmetrical warfare.
Repelling German advances in France in WWI, island hopping across Asia, amphibious landings in France, forcing North Korea to withdraw from the South, and decapitating the feared Iraqi military in Desert Storm is what the U.S. Armed Forces does best. Immediate crisis response to various humanitarian disasters, as seen in Japan and Haiti, is what other countries lack that America must maintain—especially since crisis management has lacked due to the ‘forever wars.’
America’s force projection played a significant role in ending the two world wars, and the nation’s defense industry and ability to outproduce any country remain unmatched today. As seen with Ukraine successfully countering the once second-strongest military on the planet thanks to U.S. weapons, America still has a significant role to play for its allies.
Learn from Ukraine and Returning to Amphibious Roots
Ukraine, fighting and repelling Europe’s most significant invasion force since WWII, has taught America valuable lessons in 21st-century conventional warfare—particularly in deterrence. Decades of appeasement by the West towards Russia only emboldened Putin’s autocratic regime, as appeasement and concessions sealed the fate of Georgia and Chechnya.
China, aiming for Taiwan, is learning lessons from Russia’s faltering invasion. Likewise, Ukraine’s victory is detrimental to Taiwan’s security as a growing and willing Western coalition backing Kyiv can dissuade Beijing if they think the risks outweigh the rewards.
Russia’s provocative actions heightened the U.S. defense industry, which was stagnant during the Global War on Terrorism. With global exports reaching new heights, Washington has solidified alliances that were going through turbulent periods of American policies. The War in Ukraine also showed that our older stocks of weapons, such as HIMARS, F16s, and ATACMS, are still valuable today.
As our nation heads toward a potential armed conflict with China, prioritizing our force readiness with our fleets and Pacific alliances will be a top priority. The Marine Expeditionary Units will receive a more amphibious and crisis response focus than land wars in Southwest Asia and the Middle East.
Whereas America excels at war fighting, mass weapons production for allies, and crisis response, we still need nation-building and a positive way out of perpetual wars. The United States must unlearn foreign policy blunders from unconventional wars and relearn its top-tier strategies on conventional wars to combat new rising threats.
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