Reply #62: IT has been

[happyslug]

That is why Nations rarely go to war (Except for Brief fights). Any army declines over time. The Classic situation was the Persian-Roman War of 603-630 AD.

In 610 after several years of War with the Persians, the Roman Army was on the point of Collapse. Heraclius over threw the reigning Emperor and started to rebuild his army. It took him years. He had to replace the old Mercenary Roman Army with an army raised from Peasants from right is now Asia Minor. Heraclius pointed out that like his Peasants he was a Roman and a Christian against the Persians and Zoroasterites. Finally he offered the Peasants LAND in exchange for their Military Service instead of cash. In the mean time Heraclius lost not only Palestine to the Persians but Egypt (Which forced him to import grain from the Ukraine instead of Egypt as had been the case for centuries both when Rome was the Capital and then as Constantinople was the Capital of the Empire AND cost him his main source of Gold and Silver to pay his Army, thus his move to a Militia type Army from the traditional Roman Mercenary Army).

Finally in 622 he used his newly raised army against the Persians but still took him 6 years of Fighting to get a Peace Treaty returning Egypt, Syria and Palestine to the Roman Empire. When he was finished the Persian Empire was destroyed, but so was his newly raised Army, thus when the Arabs hit his Empire in 630 he had NOT yet rebuild his Army and thus Roman Forces was forced out of Palestine and Egypt for the Final Time.

While the immediate reason for Heraclius NOT to retake Palestine or Egypt seems to be that his ARMY had not yet recovered from the Persian Wars, there is also a possibility that Heraclius having had to make radical reforms in Constantinople do to the lost of Egypt came ot the belief the Empire no longer needed Egypt AND by giving up Egypt he made what was left of the Roman Empire completely Greek in Nature (Which Reinforced his troops new belief they were fighting for their Country NOT the Emperor). The Empire had lost its Latin half and tendency after the Lombard Invasion of Italy in 570 AD and now with Egypt gone, the Empire lost its Arabic/Egyptian base, leaving only its Greek base, which survived till Constantinople was taken by the Turks in 1453. The method Heraclius adopted to raise his army was used by Constantinople till 1453, and later adopted by the Turks (and used till the late 1800s).

The point here is Twice, Heraclius had to rebuild up his army, but that army was destroyed by VICTORY after a long war each time. The same thing has occurred through out the years. You can NOT maintain an army in the field for a long period of time without the Army deteriorating. It happened in the US Army in Vietnam, The Soviet Army in Afghanistan, the German Army in both WWI and WWII, The Roman Army in the Persian War of 603-630 and other time periods.