Top US generals mostly go along with wars that grow their budgets, which is bad news for anyone hoping the military will push back on questionable strikes from the inside.

• Most senior generals are eager to expand their service's budget and force size, so they say yes to wars rather than resist them.
• The Vietnam era shows the pattern: one Marine general who opposed a land war in Asia was replaced by another who signed on in exchange for more tanks, artillery, and gunships.
• Doubts about the current conflict do exist, but mainly at lower ranks, and that is not enough to change how the whole force acts.
• Congress is unlikely to impeach anyone over the bombing of an elementary school or the unprovoked killing of fishermen, so other ways to hold leaders accountable are being sought.

Outlook: Expect the top brass to keep backing the current military campaign, with accountability for civilian deaths coming, if at all, from outside the Pentagon and Congress.