[Paul R.]

If I extend your premise, OTOH, we are getting to evaluate directly how Russian forces perform against a European & Western backed (and ever more trained) opponent (admittedly not with our very best weapons or in sufficient quantity), on a fairly large scale. However, I only partially agree with your premise:

Trump committed cardinal sin by spinning down Afghanistan without spinning up the next war on the schedule.

Trump substantially increased Defense spending and while in office generally halted the wussification of our forces. No need to "spin up" a war, one we could not ignore would be sure to come along anyway without our "War Machine" or pols to force it. At least we are a little more ready for it in terms of equipment. (My view of the world is probably a bit different from yours, but aligns with Reagan: Take away the USA and "the West" (with all its faults) and IMO we are all just radioactive dust, likely for some time, or, slaves in much of an Old World sense, by now.)

[JustaTech]

No, wars do not simply “come along”, spaced out one after another over decades. They are planned business operations, run for immense profit. Increased defense spending is only one slice of the big pie.

Wars are chaos, and chaos is opportunity for the prepared. Opportunity to loot national treasuries and grab many other goodies. Opportunity to launder billion$ as is happening in the Ukraine war now.

Trump did not deliver a war to the syndicate who thinks it runs the planet, and for that he will never be forgiven.