We are all watching the news as the U.S. attacks Iran, Israel attacks Lebanon, and Iran attacks several Gulf States. For many of us, we are consumed with our daily work in local government and don’t have the time to make sense of U.S. intervention in the Middle East. While we may want to avoid the political arguments for or against this war, we can’t ignore the impact it will have on our residents and employees.

Military Deployments

When active-duty soldiers and sailors deploy overseas, families are left behind, and some of those family members are likely our employees and our residents. Children who are in school and have a parent deployed often become anxious and easily distracted. Meanwhile, the parent who stays behind while a spouse deploys instantly becomes a single mom or dad, juggling work, home, kids, and finances. Costs for the new single parent may increase due to the need for additional childcare support. If these individuals are working in local government, it’s important for city or county managers and department heads to recognize that they may have employees who are now constantly worried or preoccupied with national news, which can detract from their daily work of meeting residents’ needs.

Many local governments may have National Guard or Reservists on their staff. These service members are often recalled to active duty to deploy or backfill stateside positions when active-duty service members deploy. This could create staffing shortages in essential positions within the city or county, impacting other employees who must take on extra work.

Increased Cost of Gas and Everyday Goods

This particular conflict in the Middle East led to a 14% increase in U.S. gas prices in the first week alone, and gas prices continue to rise each week. Because of the cost of gasoline, local government employees and our residents will see an increase in the price of goods that are transported across the nation and internationally. For residents who are hit by these unplanned price escalations, they may turn to local government for additional assistance with food, housing, and healthcare costs. The delay in the delivery of goods can also affect local government budgets and potentially delay projects.

Cyber Vulnerabilities

Many large technology companies have operations in the Middle East and some of those data centers have already been struck by Iranian drones impacting cloud services here in the United States. City and county governments likely have cloud services as a back-up to their networks, but these back-ups are now at risk. While a drone attack is a physical attack on property, cyber attacks are even more likely in the coming months. Cyber attacks are not limited to malware on our computers; hackers also target public utility facilities. Advisories from federal authorities have already warned about protecting critical infrastructure including energy and water facilities. In 2024, a small town in Texas was targeted by Russian hackers who manipulated the water control system, changing flow levels and causing tanks to overflow. Many hackers can obtain information easily through public records requests and currently only 34 states have made critical infrastructure exempt from public information disclosure.

What You Can Do

All politics are local—and so are the impacts of war. National and international events are not just distant issues happening in other places. Major global events impact our employees and have a trickle-down effect on our residents. We all have a responsibility as government leaders to check in on employees who have family members deployed. Consider offering these employees EAP support services or flex time. Being in the military is always risky, whether in training or in a military environment. The ultimate sacrifice could be given.

Local residents may also feel on edge, especially Jewish communities who are often threatened during conflicts in the Middle East. Recently there was an attack on a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, connected to the Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Local leadership should check in with local houses of worship and synagogues to see what support their members may need. Residents who are simply feeling stress due to political chaos may need to be connected to local churches, food pantries, or emotional support networks.

If you haven’t done so already, develop internal policies and procedures to enforce cyber security requirements on utility systems and ensure that assets connected to the internet are protected. Don’t have these discussions at a public meeting; establish the policies internally and brief elected officials privately on the importance of staff following procedures that will protect city or county assets.

As much as we may want to, we can’t turn the channel and ignore conflict in other countries. Local governments take on responsibilities that many residents are not even aware of, and during international conflicts, there may be even more responsibilities added to our plates. Consider ways that this conflict may be impacting your employees, residents, or vulnerable assets, and proactively offer assistance.

CASEY LUCIUS, PhD, is a U.S. Navy veteran and interim city manager in Marco Island, Florida.