Thus far in "Operation Epic Fury," U.S. President Donald Trump seems to be adhering religiously to "just war" doctrine.
If he can conclude Epic Fury in a "just war" manner, he will earn his legacy as the "Just War President."
Christian "just war" doctrine builds upon the teaching of St. Augustine in the 5th century A.D. As St. Augustine wrote about "righteous war" in "The City of God," "it is the wrongdoing of the opposing party which compels the wise man to wage just wars."
The modern "just war" doctrine has four essential elements.
To quote St. John Paul the Great in his 1997 "Catechism of the Catholic Church": (1) the risk posed by an aggressor "must be lasting, grave, and certain"; (2) "all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective"; (3) "there must be serious prospects of success"; and (4) "the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated," often referred to as proportionality.
When I was inspector general of the Department of Defense during wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I routinely asked American military leaders if they could define for me exactly who the enemy is, and what they knew about the "just war" doctrine.
As I was routinely disappointed with the answers, I compiled my unofficial "Just War Notes of an Inspector General."
Considering what's happening in Iran, I would add to my "Just War Notes" Pope John Paul II's concluding admonition to government leaders after summarizing the four traditional "just war" elements: "The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good."
Our nation's 47th commander in chief can meet all four "just war" elements.
When Trump announced military action against the regime in Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, he described the risk, "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. . . .
"For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. . . ."
It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon."
The president explained that efforts to negotiate a resolution have been ineffective: "They've rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can't take it anymore.”
Within the third element of the "just war" doctrine, "serious prospects of success," is the need to know your enemy.
Our president has identified our enemies, "To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity."
It is long-standing American military doctrine, stemming from Sun Tzu’s "The Art of War" in the 5th century B.C., that to win wars we need to know our enemy.
As Sun Tsu wrote, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles."
In his April 1, 2026, address to the nation, President Trump described the purpose of his speech as "an update on the tremendous progress our warriors have made in Iran and discuss why Operation Epic Fury is necessary for the safety of America and the security of the free world."
He reiterated that the Iranian, "fanatical regime has been chanting 'Death to America,' 'Death to Israel' for 47 years. . . . This murderous regime also recently killed 45,000 of their own people who were protesting in Iran, 45,000 dead.
"For these terrorists to have nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat."
These 45,000 Iranian martyrs were not our enemies.
Likewise, the remaining millions of good Iranian people are not our enemies.
The Sun Tzu "know your enemy" definition of enemy is not an impersonal "Iran."
Our enemies are the military "live bodies" called out by President Trump at the onset of Operation Epic Fury: "the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police."
The sooner we conclude a military surrender by those "live bodies," the sooner we can end the thus-far "just war" in Iran called Operation Epic Fury in a "just war" manner.
If our commander in chief continues his adherence to the "just war" doctrine, focuses on defeating the "live body" Iranian enemies of the American people, and concludes Operation Epic Fury without allowing the might of the American military to "produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated," he will maintain the support of the American people, win the war, and earn his legacy as the "Just War President."
Joseph E. Schmitz served as inspector general of the Department of Defense from 2002-2005. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he served as foreign policy and national security advisor to candidate Donald J. Trump. Mr. Schmitz graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy, and earned his J.D. degree from Stanford Law School. He is author of, "The Inspector General Handbook: Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Other Constitutional 'Enemies, Foreign and Domestic.'"(2013). Read more Joseph E. Schmitz insider articles — Click Here Now.
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