War Isn't Precise or Predictable — It's Barbaric, Chaotic, and Ugly

A long read - but one that most will find very interesting in how this Australian officer lays out his discussion and thoughts.
"It is not unreasonable to suggest that actions thought inconceivable at the start of a war may become the norm as a conflict progresses due to their perceived military necessity, particularly in response to a highly aggressive adversary.[16] Indeed, a state may start with the intent to fight in a clinical, precise manner, but very quickly it may become apparent that such restrictive use of force impedes the achievement of the political objective. Therefore, if a state determines that the resort to war (the use of sanctioned violence) is the only way to achieve a political objective then correspondingly this should mean that policy-makers are willing from the outset to use all available means to do so. This logic starts to chip away at misguided conceptions of ‘limited war’ and reinforces that all wars are in fact wars of choice, with the decision to escalate often directly related to the choice about victory’s importance."