ICYMI: Leela Gray Joins Fox 13 to Discuss Latest on Iran War & A.I.

“We need to stop the madness right now [in Iran] and stop pretending that we actually have the upper hand” - Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Leela Gray

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2026

CONTACT: Billy Perlmutter | billy@leelagray.com

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — In case you missed it, retired Army Brigadier General Leela Gray joined Fox 13’s Craig Patrick for a wide-ranging policy discussion on everything from the Iran war, to A.I. and the rising cost of property insurance. You can read the full report and watch the full interview here.

The Iran War

Pointing to her background working under General James Mattis at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Gray rejected the premise that continued military strikes are necessary to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz or contain Iran's enriched uranium.

"We need to stop the madness right now and stop pretending that we actually have the upper hand," Gray declared. Drawing on her CENTCOM experience resolving Houthi maritime disruptions and regional piracy, Gray insisted that bringing the full weight of regional diplomacy and international alliances to bear is the only effective way to de-escalate the conflict, protect service members, and restore global trade routes.

AI Job Displacement and the Workforce

Beyond existential national security threats, Gray warned of the massive economic displacement facing American workers as AI automation accelerates. While acknowledging potential medical breakthroughs and economic prosperity, she insisted that lawmakers must plan for second and third-order effects on the labor force.

Reflecting on her upbringing in rural Virginia where her father worked as a mechanic, Gray emphasized the human value of blue-collar and service work. "We don't want to see people displaced that we already know are great contributors to our society and great contributors to our economic boom," she said.

AI Guardrails

Gray drew on her experience as a senior advisor to United States Army Cyber Command to warn that the rapid rise of artificial intelligence poses severe risks to consumer safety and national security. … Gray called for immediate government intervention led by experts from agencies like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to enforce transparency and accountability standards.

The Property Insurance Crisis

[Gray] argued against reducing coverage or penalizing homeowners when major corporate tax cuts continue to add trillions to the national deficit.

"I don't think we should be giving tax breaks to major corporations and billionaires at the expense of healthcare, food, and safety," Gray argued, warning that failing to protect policyholders will leave coastal communities accessible only to those wealthy enough to self-insure.