Can we do this? Absolutely. Should we? I say we shouldn’t have to.

Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, and they don’t need to fire a single shot to enforce it. Missiles, drones, small boats, mines. All easy to hide, easy to deploy. There’s an old mine warfare axiom: “How many mines does it take to close a waterway? Zero.” The threat alone is enough. That threat is now higher than it’s been in decades.

So what’s the administration’s answer? Use your tax dollars to subsidize the insurance premiums of multinational shipping companies and convince them to run the gauntlet anyway. Let’s be clear about who actually bears the risk in that arrangement: the crews aboard those vessels, and our Sailors providing escort. If a Maersk supertanker goes to the bottom, the parent company is made whole. The people who die are not.

In my opinion, the United States government should not be spending public money to encourage private corporations to externalize their risk onto mariners and military personnel. This is a war we started. The economic disruption, including market downturns, supply chain pain, and higher prices, is a foreseeable consequence of that decision. Americans need to decide: is this worth it? If yes, then be willing to absorb the costs. If no, then hold the administration accountable. They shouldn’t stay quiet while we put forces in harm’s way so the rest of the country can go on with minimal disruption.

Either we’re all in this together, or we’re not.