Six Americans are dead, and there may be more before the end of Operation Epic Fury.
Before strategy and political debate, there are families whose lives have been permanently altered. Parents, spouses, children, and teammates will carry this loss for the rest of their lives. Their grief is immediate and enduring. The nation owes them more than ceremony. It owes them clarity. I say this as a veteran of the Global War on Terror and as someone shaped by a family whose service spans generations and wars.
When U.S. service members deploy, they do so knowing the risks. They volunteer to stand in harm’s way on behalf of a country that asks much of them. That knowledge does not diminish the weight of this moment. These six Americans were disciplined, trained, and willing to shoulder burdens most citizens will never see, and may never fully understand.
TRUMP TO ATTEND DIGNIFIED TRANSFER OF SIX US SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED BY IRAN
To speak honestly about their sacrifice requires speaking plainly about the adversary that created the conditions in which they served.
The regime in Tehran has spent more than four decades institutionalizing hostility toward the United States. From the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, to the provision of explosively formed penetrators that killed and maimed American troops in Iraq, to its continued sponsorship of proxy militias across the Middle East, the Iranian regime has been responsible for the deaths and injuries of thousands of Americans, whether through its direct actions or through the networks it finances, arms, and directs. Its pursuit of advanced missile capabilities and its decadeslong effort to develop nuclear weapons remain central strategic concerns for U.S. policymakers and military planners.
American force posture in the Middle East must be understood with the context of that history. U.S. forces are positioned to contain escalation, protect key partners, secure vital waterways and infrastructure, and disrupt threats before they reach U.S. shores. Their presence complicates the calculations of regimes and militias that would otherwise exploit vacuums. Deterrence in this environment is not theoretical. It carries risk, and stability in the region does not sustain itself without it.
In this region, American power has at times prevented wider wars, restored balance when aggression accelerated, and protected the broader security framework on which our safety depends. That history also carries hard lessons about discipline, defined objectives, and the consequences of drift.
Political leaders must answer for the missions they authorize and the outcomes they seek. And serious debate requires precision. When a regime has spent decades arming proxies, targeting Americans, and embedding hostility into its governing doctrine, President Donald Trump’s use of force becomes a clear matter of national protection. His is a disciplined calculation aimed at preventing greater violence, not a rationale for indefinite war.
This is why grief and resolve must coexist.
We can mourn these six Americans deeply while acknowledging the sustained record of the regime responsible. Ignoring that history does not honor the truth, nor does it serve the families who now carry this loss.
The U.S. maintains the most capable military force in the world. Yet capability has too often outpaced political clarity. For decades, Washington has oscillated between episodic strikes and strategic drift, responding tactically while avoiding the sustained resolve required to alter the behavior of a regime that has openly cultivated violence against Americans. Military strength without clarity of purpose and the will to see it through invites protraction rather than deterrence. The threat has been consistent but our posture toward it has not.
The burdens imposed by American power are undeniable, as is its indispensability in the world. When it comes to Iran, Trump has been the only leader courageous enough to embrace and bear that hard responsibility.
PENTAGON IDENTIFIES TWO OTHER SOLDIERS KILLED IN KUWAIT DRONE ATTACK
As such, we honor those who sacrifice with seriousness about the world as it is, about the adversary that has long targeted our citizens, and about the responsibilities inherent in leading a free nation in a dangerous era.
God bless those who serve on our behalf. May we prove worthy of their sacrifice.
Meaghan Mobbs, Ph.D., is the director of the Independent Women’s Center for American Safety and Security (CASS).