Time was when top generals were renowned for offensive forays and winning wars. Think George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower.
We don’t live in those times any more. Haven’t since Gen. Westmoreland kept asking for more troops to hold on in Vietnam.
These days generals “manage” asymmetrical wars against insurgents by buying time and expediting exit strategies.
Case in point: the new man, Gen. Lloyd Austin III, now in charge of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base. His most recent accomplishment: overseeing the final troop withdrawal in Iraq.