The Latin phrase bellum se ipsum alet (English: The war will feed itself) or bellum se ipsum alit (English: The war feeds itself, French: La guerre doit se nourrir elle-même), and its German rendering Der Krieg ernährt den Krieg describe the military strategy of feeding and funding armies primarily with the resources of occupied territories. It is closely associated with mass starvation in the population of these territories. The phrase, coined by Ancient Roman statesman Cato the Elder, is primarily associated with the Thirty Years War (1618–1648).