There is an interesting podcast from a few years ago called (if I remember right) “It Could Happen Here: The Second American Civil War”. A war correspondant with experience covering the Syrian civil war takes what he observed there as a thought experiment on what modern civil war might be like on American soil. This was released around 2019 I think.

Basically what you see there is riflemen with drones and improvised explosives make a very effective fighting force when paired with smart gurilla tactics.

Vietnam and Afghanistan were not won by the US. The Soviets didn’t win the Afghan war in the 80s.

In America rural citizens have weapons and experience using them (war, hunting etc) and can easily disrupt logistics to make life hell for an enemy force. Military vehicles are notorious gas hogs and expensive aircraft can be easily destroyed if caught on the ground. Advanced weaponry can be scrounged. And the factories that make them are built here.

I love my country and also see the flaws of it including our polarization. I hate the very idea of any war here under any circumstances. I see it as an incredibly foolish idea, right alongside “just nuke em”. But as the journalist put it, if it came to that we would make “one ass kicker of an insurgency”

But for the record what I was meaning in my initual statement is more for home defense, hunting and so on. Not going against the government but having the capablity to be okay if they can’t get help to you in time. Even the best trained police officer is of little use when they are 10 minutes away from you, which is typical in the US. In that regard it’s logical to us, just like first aid kits and fire extinguishers. And it’s okay if it doesn’t make sense to you.