And military equipment wears out much more quickly than civilian equipment. The costs of a modern war are enormous. The adequate method of providing the funds the government needs for war is, of course, taxation. Part of the funds may also be provided by borrowing from the public, the citizens. But if the Treasury increases the amount of money in circulation or borrows from the commercial banks, it inflates.
Inflation can do the job for a limited time.
There is no need to dwell upon the disastrous consequences of inflation. All people agree in this regard. But inflation is a very convenient makeshift for those in power. It is a handy means to divert the resentment of the people from the government. Perhaps somebody will consider what I am saying here as anti-democratic, reactionary, and economic royalism.