My oldest son was five months old –– and had just spent a month in the hospital –– when I deployed to a combat zone in the Middle East as part of the Global War on Terror. He was 18 months old when I returned home. 

I’ve seen the cost of war. I’ve buried my friends. The base in the Middle East where I spent several months was hit last week by an Iranian drone. As a former U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and a battalion intelligence officer, I have witnessed firsthand the threat Iran poses to global freedom. 

The fanatical clerics who rule Iran have never hidden their intentions. Since 1979, they have preached “death to America,” killing thousands of innocent Americans, funding and encouraging terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda, and prioritizing weapons over the needs of their own people. While the regime continued investing in nuclear and conventional weapons, their civilians faced torture and economic collapse. Drinking water in Tehran ran dry. When Iranian women and young people flooded the streets to protest, the regime responded by murdering more than 30,000 of them in cold blood. 

Negotiating with this regime is an exercise in futility. Their leadership openly preaches that agreements with “infidels” are not binding.   

Iran is deliberately exploiting a dangerous imbalance: It’s cheaper to build a $35,000 drone than a $4 million Patriot interceptor missile. Iranian drone and missile production was reaching critical mass and the ability to overwhelm regional defenses. The United States has extensive economic agreements in the region. We cannot allow ourselves or our Middle Eastern allies to be held hostage. Should we retreat, Iran’s ally, China, would quickly fill that vacuum.  

Immediate intervention was necessary. Congress has already spoken. The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that passed seven days after September 11, 2001, permits military action against entities that supported the 9/11 attacks. Iran has provided material support to Al Qaeda since the 1990s. In March 2026, the House and Senate supported intervention by declining to block military action. Per the War Powers Act, the president briefed bipartisan congressional leaders before strikes began. 

This is not a forever war. Having served in Operation Enduring Freedom, the longest war in American history, I know what that looks like. The objectives here are far narrower: destroy Iran’s nuclear weapon capability, dismantle its ability to produce and launch missiles and drones, and neutralize its navy so it cannot mine the Straits of Hormuz and cripple 20% of the world’s oil supply.  

Regime change is not the mission. That responsibility belongs to the Iranian people. But if they choose to pursue the same rights expressed in our Declaration of Independence –– to alter or abolish a destructive government –– this is their opportunity.   

This is how military power should be used: quickly, overwhelmingly, and decisively. No nation-building. No ground invasion. Current operations rely primarily on air and naval power. This same template worked in Venezuela.   

The United States prefers peace. President Trump offered Iran a deal — low grade nuclear fuel in exchange for abandoning weapons grade enrichment. The Ayatollah rejected it. In negotiations, his government bragged about having 1,000 pounds of 60% uranium. When diplomacy fails, the United States must be prepared to act.  

Our military trains for this moment. What damages morale is not decisive action, it’s hesitation. Now is the time to let our military do what it does best: protect America by eliminating Iran’s ability to export terror beyond its borders.  

Democrats have a political incentive to spread disinformation around this operation. As a sitting congressman on the Homeland Security Committee, a retired cop, and an Army veteran, here’s what Operation Epic Fury actually is. No half-measures. No handcuffing our troops. No repeat of Biden and Obama sending pallets of taxpayer cash to bribe the terrorists. It finishes the job quickly, saves lives, and sends a clear message to the world: there is no better friend –– and no worse enemy –– than the United States.  

The best way to prevent another generation of Americans from saying goodbye to their five-month-old child before deploying to a forever war is to act decisively now, allow our troops to protect America first, and win. 

Gabe Evans, a Republican, represents Colorado’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served from 2007-2019 in the U.S. Army and Colorado Army National Guard. In 2012-2013 he completed a combat deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Reaching the rank of captain, he served in a variety of roles including company commander, aircrew training program commander, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot in command, and battalion intelligence officer. Evans was stationed at Aurora’s former Buckley Air Force Base, now Buckley Space Fore Base, where he also responded to domestic emergencies throughout Colorado.