Well, the alternative you suggested is not the only alternative. As you point out, it's a rather bad one. Perhaps a better one is to study similar situations,

Well, the alternative you suggested is not the only alternative. As you point out, it's a rather bad one. Perhaps a better one is to study similar situations, talk to all members of a system and get feedback, and then make a decision based on the feedback of all involved. To use your example, asking soldiers what they want to do will result in one set of answers. Asking generals another. Politicians another (politicians certainly are incentivised/biased in this situation). Civilians in the affected regions another. But to come up with the most objective judgment for the system as a whole, you should get people who are not in the system, but have access to all information available on it, including the desires of all involved.