But they aren't in Times Square. I have always been of the opinion that you don't fight terrorists with the conventional army. The actual threat to the United States doesn't doesn't come from the Al Qaeda irregulars skirmishing with U.S. troops in the sands of a far away nation. It comes from the ones that hide in dark caves and other various countries around the globe plotting and planning the next horrific attack on American soil.
Killing a terrorist accomplishes nothing. For every terrorist you kill, there are probably 10 other militants who would leap up to take his place.
The "war" on terrorism is best fought with intelligence and clandestine operations. If a surgical strike is require once in a while you can break out Delta Force or the Navy Seals. Military units specifically trained in counter-terrorism.
All of the money they are sinking into a conventional ground war can be best spent in other places the least of which would be raising salaries for those that work in the government intelligence sector like the CIA, FBI, NSA and so on. Most people can make far more money in the private sector, if you level the salaries, that really sharp guy that had to leave the NSA because his wife is expecting a second child would be able to stay, etc. You could extend federal grants to exceptional high school students that show aptitude in these areas who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford college and/or graduate school. Hell, you might even be better off using that $50 million you spend on a tank as a reward for credible information received leading to the foiling of a terrorist attack.
To borrow an oft used analogy, the "war" against terrorism in Iraq is about as effective as performing surgery with a meat cleaver.