The US military's inability to win via numbers necessitates a strategy reliant on technology, speed, and lethality, which makes their casualties more sensitive.

“the United States military since before the world wars has been designed to project power out. And if you're going to project power out you will never win on the numbers. You have to win on technology and reach and speed and lethality”

The introduction of machine guns and heavy artillery in World War I created a defensive advantage that favored stagnant trench warfare over mobile combat.

“World War I takes place at this moment where the military Technologies of Defense are at a very high level of killing power military technologies that particularly favor attack are coming but they're not quite there yet”

The United States is not currently involved in a forever war or quagmire in Iran.

“The media here. Not all of it, but much of it. Wants you to think just 19 days into this conflict that we're somehow spinning toward an endless abyss or a forever war or a quagmire. Nothing could be further from the truth”