"Next phase could be measured in months, or longer". Is the west prepared for a prolonged war?

[taxi]

3. It could be a pleasant summer in the west, so yes, it could be measured in months or longer.

STUDY OF CLIMATIC CONDITIONS HAS BEEN OF IMPORTANCE IN EUROPE
By Professor OF Climatology. and Robert DE Courcy ward
April 23, 1917

...The present war has provided an unusual opportunity to study the influence of weather upon modern military operations. Each war zone has its own special climatic types, and present its own peculiar problems. On the western front, the chief difficulty has been the autumn and winter rains, not so much because these are unusually heavy, but because of their frequency. On the eastern front the winters are more severe than in the west. There has been more suffering on account of the cold, and because of snow storms. The importance of long spells of freezing weather, during which alone the marshes can be crossed, has been clearly seen.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1917/4/23/weather-has-effect-on-war-pwar/

eta: I'm sure many involved in the crisis would rather just go home, but it's just as likely that someone has a plan to fight forever.