The first time I heard my son describe the moment he raised his right hand to take the oath of military service — I felt the same mix of pride and worry that so many military parents know well. Pride in his willingness to serve something bigger than himself. Worry because that oath means he could one day be asked to put his life on the line.
That reality changes how you think about the decisions being made in Washington. Especially now.
Like many, I have been focused on trying to understand the timing of this military action, which is really a war. What’s evident two weeks in is that this administration had no clear rationale for acting — and has no forward plan.
When leaders talk about military action, they often speak in terms of strategy, deterrence, or geopolitical balance. But for military families, those decisions are deeply personal. Behind every deployment order is someone’s son or daughter — and a family waiting anxiously for them to come home.
As a military mom, an entrepreneur who has worked extensively on international economic security, and someone who has spent years studying global markets and geopolitical risk, I think about these decisions from several perspectives at once. National security matters. Regional stability matters. But so does having a serious, realistic strategy before sending Americans into harm’s way.
Our military service members are the best in the world – with exceptional training, the most advanced equipment, and unwavering focus. But executing a mission is not a replacement for having a clear political and national security strategy.
That’s what’s missing. That is why the most troubling question about the current conflict with Iran is not simply whether the initial strikes were justified.
It is whether there is any real strategy for what comes next.
Right now, it is not clear that there is.
Today, we are two weeks into a conflict launched by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, yet the most basic strategic questions remain unanswered.
What is the endgame?
What does success actually look like?
And what’s the strategy for what comes next?
Removing the Islamic regime in Tehran might transform the region in ways that could benefit the people of Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Yemen, and Israel. But recognizing that possibility does not make it easy — or even feasible.
History has shown that regime change is extraordinarily difficult to engineer from the outside. Without a realistic plan for what comes next, military action risks creating even greater instability.
As Americans, we must also remember the human cost. Already, American service members have lost their lives in this conflict. They took an oath to defend our country and were willing to sacrifice everything to do so. Their courage deserves our deepest respect.
But that sacrifice also demands something from our leaders: seriousness, honesty, and accountability. It does not warrant disrespect, such as greeting our fallen soldiers while wearing a baseball cap. Or a vain, unserious Secretary of Defense who is more concerned about his photos and optics—than protecting our service members.
The most solemn responsibility of a president is deciding whether to send Americans into combat. It should only happen when there is no real alternative—and when the objectives are clear.
Under our Constitution, Congress has the responsibility to declare war. If American service members are risking their lives, our elected representatives should at the very least support them publicly with an up-or-down vote.
War should never proceed without accountability.
Hard Reality.
Now that we are in this war, we need a plan to end it successfully and securely without jeopardizing more American lives or the threat of boots on the ground.
But there is another reality Americans cannot ignore: foreign policy decisions have direct consequences at home.
Wars are expensive. They affect global energy markets, disrupt supply chains, and increase uncertainty in the global economy. Those pressures ultimately show up in higher prices for American families — at the gas pump, in grocery stores, and across the broader economy.
At a time when families are already struggling with the cost of living, we cannot afford a foreign policy that lacks strategic clarity.
America needs a foreign policy rooted in strength, diplomacy, and realism — one that protects our national security while also safeguarding economic stability at home.
That means working closely with allies, using economic tools and diplomacy effectively, and reserving military force for situations where it is truly necessary and part of a clear strategy.
It also means recognizing that our domestic strength is inseparable from our global leadership. When we invest in American workers, strengthen small businesses, and keep our economy stable and competitive, we reinforce our ability to lead on the world stage.
Commonsense leadership means understanding that these priorities are connected.
We cannot separate foreign policy from economic policy. We cannot ignore the costs of war while families struggle with affordability. And we cannot send Americans into harm’s way without a clear strategy for what comes next.
America deserves leadership that is thoughtful, responsible, and grounded in reality — leadership that asks hard questions before making decisions with irreversible consequences.
War without strategy is not strength.
It is a failure of leadership.
And the American people deserve better.
Message Sanjyot P. Dunung
