Hard power is for stopping other people using hard power

Not even that - hard power is an end in itself, with little or no interest in strategic outcomes.

Hence the missile waving and the random blowing up of shit for the sake of it.

Energy is non-military power, so it's entirely consistent to try to have a monopoly on both, and to be more interested in forms of energy generation which are explosive, dangerous and can be monopolised and leveraged, than caring sharing girly-man DFH sustainables.

Our leaders are teenagers. Especially the older ones.