War does not constitute material loss for those who make policy. It is a massively profitable business.
This is perhaps the greatest mistake we make when we evaluate US military intervention.
Loss of equipment and weapons is not a loss. It is the engine of production. Loss of soldiers is not loss. It is reduction of the superfluous population. They do not think the way we think.
The economic cost to taxpayers is irrelevant, their loss is profit for the controllers of policy. The role of the public is to fund corporations, not only as consumers, but as taxpayers.
When we talk about America, the American public is not part of the discussion. They have no significant influence over policy