How do the Admiral’s words reinforce the theme(s) of the novel? alas babylon

do not know

Thanks for trying.

He says, ‘It takes two to make peace but only one to make war”. While the US may have wanted peace, that didn’t mean they just wouldn’t prepare. They had to. So while you may think of peace and vowing to not strike, you’re still preparing for war, and maybe this in itself is a strike to the other side.