Sept. 10, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: America strategically plans to fight a two-front war against major powers: Russia in Europe and China in the Asia-Pacific theater. As a global power with worldwide commitments, we cannot afford to be tied down in one theater while another adversary on the other front exploits the distraction.
Iranian strikes have damaged at least 15 American bases and major installations in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea regions and have severely degraded the operational capability of as many as six of them. Most dramatically, an Iranian airstrike on Bahrain — headquarters of America’s Fifth Fleet —disrupted the easy supply lines supporting America’s naval blockade of the Persian Gulf. They now stretch to Diego Garcia, 2,400 miles away. Witness the recent supply problems faced by the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.
Donald Trump started a war of choice on a whim. Forget two fronts against major adversaries. The Trump-Hegseth administration has proven incapable of successfully prosecuting even a one-front war against a regional power. Ignoring the concerns of citizens in the Sixth District, our congressional representative, Ben Cline, says and does nothing to challenge this malfeasance. Vote to keep America strong, not weak.
JAY CLARKE Rockbridge County
