Just noting here that I didn't say retaliation was the opposite of defense.

Whether somehing is or isn't a just use of force is orthogonal to whether or not it is defensive. 

 There are no just uses of force. From a moralistic perspective, all force, even defensive, is unjust. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't use force. In fact, we should use force much more than we do.  

 “All force is unjust.” According to who? 

 Jesus, as I understand it 

 Jesus was not the pacifist portrayed by liberal churches (those embracing worldly values). He understood that most battles are fought in a different realm than the physical. 

John 2:15

So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.