The main problem with the US military is that after George Bush, Sr. in 1991, there's been no one of either party in power who's been remotely competent at using military force as a tool of national strategy. By which I mean knowing its limitations, knowing how to use it, and most importantly when and how NOT to use it.

There seems to be this belief since Desert Storm that the US military is this invincible fighting force that's an easy button for any kind of geopolitical problem, when it's an institution with capabilities and limitations that need to be taken into account, and that has to be integrated with all the other levers of national power. We're seeing now how much the most powerful military can spin its wheels and sputter when you don't have a proper strategy or a proper logistical plan behind what you're asking of it.

There also seems to be a belief both in government and the general public that warfighting is "just bombing things." Which does not help.