Crippled Iranian Defenses & Escalating Domestic Threats: Why the DHS Shutdown Must End

In her first appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, in mid-February 2026, former CIA targeting office Sarah Adams laid bare the raw failures of the Benghazi attack in 2012. Delayed rescues, siloed teams that didn’t communicate, and ignored intelligence on Hamza Bin Laden, Osama’s son—and how he was still alive and pulling strings. All these factors allowed for terrorist networks to slip through the cracks. Her words were a stark indictment of miscalculations that allowed threats to metastasize, a warning that a fragmented government response invites disaster.

Unfortunately, this is not a foreign concept to Washington.

That cautionary tale resonates louder today because, in Iran, we chose a different path. Unlike post-9/11 reactive scramble to the Middle East, the February 28, 2026, U.S.-Israeli targeted strikes on Iran were not a part of an impulsive rush to defend after an attack on American soil.

Operation Epic Fury was designed with America First in mind: to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, missile arsenal, proxy networks, terrorism infrastructure, and leadership before their advancing capabilities could be turned against U.S. cities, bases, or civilians. President Trump also reiterated his promise to the world in his statement following the initial strikes: “It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.” So, this should not come as a surprise nor should be a concern as this is prevention, not reaction. These actions were taken to eliminate threats at the source so we never have to scramble across an ocean in defense of our homeland again.

This operation exemplifies a whole-of-government approach, seamlessly integrating the joint forces of the Department of War (DoW) for precision airstrikes and naval operations, the intelligence community (i.e. the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency) for targeting data and real-time assessments, and diplomatic channels from the Department of State to coordinate with allies like Israel. This approach is the pinnacle of statecraft—fusing military might, cyber and space capabilities, and economic pressure. This was a display of joint ops at their finest. President Trump’s February 28 address highlighted this cohesion, pledging sustained multi-agency efforts to protect America by eradicating threats comprehensively, without the siloed missteps Adams critiqued in Benghazi.

Yet the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), now in its third week due to congressional gridlock, undermines the very domestic safeguard that makes such proactive strategy viable. All the variables that lead us to fail in the Middle East last time around could happen again. During a shutdown, intelligence sharing slows, threat assessments lag, and rapid response capabilities erode, all while Iran contemplates and prepares to retaliate.

Iran posed a domestic threat by attempting to rebuild their nuclear warhead program and replenish their missile stockpile. But they also pose an active and existing threat on American soil right now. The southern border remains our final protective barrier, and yet Iran was emboldened by the previous administrations’ open border policy. Over 1,500 Iranians have been apprehended at the southern border in recent years, many of them released, while state-directed cells continue to target Americans.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stressed in his remarks at the Reagan forum in December, “…our borders shouldn’t be the first line of defense [for the American homeland].” Strong federal-state-local collaboration and interagency coordination through the Joint Terrorism Task Forces, has been an effective shield. The post-9/11 reforms fused FBI, DHS, and local law enforcement to prevent over 100 attacks through a plethora of coordinated investigations. Yet ideological barriers, policy disagreements, restricted interagency coordination and the midterm climate continue to erode to hinder the ultimate goal: protect the American people.

Sarah Adams’ most recent warning reinforces the stakes. She talks about clandestine labs on U.S. soil and how sleeper cells are already producing biological and chemically-enhanced weapons tied to terrorist networks.

This is not the time for political bickering—it’s time for unified national defense. Congress must remember their civic duty and put the safety of Americans above who controls the chamber. Opening the government immediately is an imperative to ensure that DoW, DHS, intelligence agencies, and local partners can provide the protection that Americans deserve and pay for.

Operation Epic Fury was never about appeasing Washington elites or foreign partners. It was about protecting the American people before an attack were to reach our homes, cities, and families. The United States struck first so we would never have to scramble in defense again. Now we must defend what we have at home.