So, what did they learn?
– They learned that wars can indeed last forever, but that Vietnam wasnât the best âforever warâ for the military-industrial complex because it became deeply unpopular and was disrupting cohesion within the military itself. The best forever wars are open-ended âwarsâ like the global war on terror. And perhaps a ânew Cold Warâ with Russia and/or China. Wars that donât involve the deployment of over half a million men (unless that ânewâ Cold War turns hot).
– They learned to control the narrative. No more journalists traveling freely in war zones as in the 1960s in Vietnam. Journalists are now most often embedded in U.S. military units. Embedded reporters, dependent on the military for access and protection, know what they can and canât say, even as they tend to sympathize with the troops theyâre with. ….