September 02, 2026

Good morning! Today is Wednesday, September 2nd 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Jennifer Kavanagh warns that Trump's expanding wars have pushed the U.S. military to a breaking point, with the Iran conflict alone tying down 50,000 troops and consuming a quarter of the Reaper drone fleet, forcing a strategic downsizing rather than more spending. As Trump pivots to "economic D-Day" against Iran, Middle East experts tell TAC the blockade strategy has little chance of working, will harm ordinary Iranians most, and risks a "mow the lawn" cycle of periodic strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. W. James Antle III argues Trump's self-chosen crises—the Iran war and an erratic tariff regime—are deepening the affordability squeeze and leaving his party exposed heading into the midterms. and now for the details. We begin at the Pentagon, where reports indicate that four top military commanders have raised concerns about whether they can resource their own missions while operations in Iran continue. Writing for The American Conservative, Jennifer Kavanagh argues that despite Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's promise in the 2026 National Defense Strategy to prioritize the most consequential threats, the Trump administration has done the opposite—expanding the U.S. military footprint in Latin America, starting what she calls a disastrous war in the Middle East, and remaining deeply involved in Ukraine. Kavanagh notes the Iran war alone has kept at least 50,000 U.S. service members deployed overseas, and consumed 25 percent of the U.S. fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones, along with numerous aircraft and significant portions of the air defense network in the region. She points out that in Europe, U.S. presence remains essentially unchanged from January 2025, and intelligence and logistical assistance to Ukraine has actually increased, despite rhetoric to the contrary. Kavanagh writes that the shortfall is not just a munitions problem but a systemic erosion of American military strength that cannot be fixed by throwing more money at the industrial base. Her prescription: a strategic downsizing of missions and objectives, distinguishing between the interests of allies and those of America, and adopting a truly defensive posture. As she puts it, the United States had a one-war military, chose to fight a war with Iran, and will now face the consequences. Staying with the Iran conflict: President Trump has shifted from direct military hostilities toward what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the president himself are calling "economic D-Day"—an effort to strangle Iran's economy through sanctions and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Andrew Day reports for TAC that Middle East experts are skeptical this approach will change Tehran's calculations. Rosemary Kelanic of Defense Priorities told TAC that Iran will keep fighting despite the economic pain, calling this an existential conflict for Tehran, and noting that capitulation is not a serious option when Trump's demands are so erratic. She gives economic D-Day, in her words, less than a snowball's chance in hell of working, since China, Russia, and Pakistan have refused to cooperate in isolating Tehran. Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy told TAC that economic pressure can severely hurt ordinary people without producing the political outcome Washington expects. Day reports that a Pentagon source told Axios one long-term plan is to "mow the lawn" around the Strait of Hormuz—periodically bombing Iran to keep shipping lanes open. Meanwhile, testimonies from Iranian civil society shared with TAC describe impoverished children losing income after scrap warehouses were shuttered, and residents observing that the main burden falls on ordinary people, not politicians. Turning to domestic politics and the coming midterms: W. James Antle III writes for TAC that as the Iran war hits the six-month mark, President Trump continues to drive the national conversation—but to no obvious benefit for himself or his party ahead of the midterm elections. Antle argues that Trump's political skills are especially unsuited to calming the nation in a period of crisis, and that his current crises—the Iran war and an unstable, erratic tariffs regime—are largely of his own choosing, both worsening the affordability crisis. Antle observes that voters are worried about high gas prices, and that even the late Senator Lindsey Graham's own sister ran a campaign focused on affordability rather than Iran or international affairs. He credits Trump with real accomplishments achieved through brute force—securing the border, routing ISIS, cleaning up parts of Washington—but says not everything can be done that way. Antle's conclusion: Trump has chosen to be a wartime president without a vote of Congress, and both he and the country would be better off if he recognized he is not suited to the role. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanco