Thus, in the final analysis, american strategy in vietnam consists of creating a killing machine in the form of a highly equipped expeditionary corps and then turning this machine on the enemy in the hope that over the years enough killing will be done to force the enemy’s collapse through exhaustion and despair. this strategy, although possibly the only feasible alternative open to a modern industrial power in such a situation, is of necessity brutal and heedless of many of its victims. what is the philosophical concept in this excerpt? modern war is inherently violent and unfair. the machinery of war has significantly changed. america’s enemies are weak and defenseless. military corps are trained to defeat the enemy.