Perhaps we should try avoiding wars altogether.
“Or do those in charge just not really give a damn about winning … and are they just focusing on one short-term goal after another?”
As long as we have liberals in government and a media that supports leftist ideology we will never win a war.
As I noted in post #16, a real problem is that we have allowed a "declaration of war" to be replaced by an "authorization to use force". A declaration of war is a serious thing, and it requires careful thought beforehand. An authorization, not so much.
It is said that democracies should go to war reluctantly, and fiercely. Since 1945, it has pretty much been the opposite of that. We go to war casually, and then fight them halfheartedly.