Given how the army was incompetent in really doing anything from looking at released documents (https://twitter.com/richardhanania/status/120416649507430400...), I think the experience in Iraq and Afghanistan would have actually deteriorated the quality and morale of the army.
Some of those examples are not very stellar examples, I understand that they are just samples but trying to share some of my experiences to help illustrate a better picture. If listening to locals about placing a well or a playground or a zoo, I think you'll quickly get people saying yeah closer to us and not them. You are allocated finite resources to help improve living conditions, sometimes there are compromises. Just noting that transporting fuel by helicopter should not be the gauge regarding incompetence. Many of the bases are very remote, there are different fuel types and/or routes could have been closed and the requirement to get fuel to a location or other emergencies might be a driving factor. But it does sound like something that is pretty inefficient and dangerous.
From my experience and social contacts, I don't think "incompetence" at doing anything is accurate or would I describe it as affecting morale. There are inefficiencies and incompetency with leadership or supply chains, some of this waste is part of running such a large organization like the military. One that sticks in my mind is having 60 people assigned to shake debris out of parachutes when there are only 25 hooks to hang the parachutes on, requiring US mail to be transported by US citizens, and I'm nit picking here: US Air Force intra-Base Security Police enforcing a 15 MPH speed limit...
There have been many lessons that have been learned, from these conflicts and I think a large contributing factor to the cost is rapid procurement of enhanced equipment such as individual and vehicular armor improvements; equipment that had been identified in review's as being a deficiency.
I think a positive attribute around the military is what is being viewed and cited, is lessons and critique. The Army does have strong systems in place for reviewing actions. I think it's something that I try to take a utilize in the civilian sector. I think there is waste, and certainly there could be modifications to improve efficiency, but I also think for a very large organization it does fairly well, and modernized fairly well to the challenges that were presented. However if I were joking around with some friends, I would totally would be tossing around incompetence left and right (haha)!
