American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett extended the sympathies of the nation’s largest veterans service organization to families of the victims of Tuesday’s bombings in Brussels, Belgium. He also called on the U.S. government to demonstrate firm leadership and military strength in the ongoing war against terrorism in the aftermath of the apparent terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of at least 26 and wounded another 130.

“The American Legion once again sends its heartfelt condolences to the victims of another senseless terrorist attack,” Barnett said Tuesday after two explosions at the Brussels Airport and one at a subway station rocked the Belgium capital city. “This is yet another painful reminder that terrorists are very much engaged in a war against the civilized world, whether we recognize it or not. This continues to happen far too regularly. The attack in Paris last November, followed by shootings linked to Islamic extremism in California in December, and now this, are clear and deadly messages from the enemies of freedom. As leader of the free world, the United States must exert strong leadership and eliminate the threats from radical Islamists who plot murder and violence against innocent people.”

To effectively do that, Barnett added, “America cannot continue to shrink military end strength and restrict funding for the Department of Defense on the basis of a federal budget that’s gone awry. The war on terrorism is a world war, and America has risen up from deeper economic problems in the past to do what’s right and, through strength, succeed for the greater good of the world. In a time of war, and we are in just such a time, America cannot simply stand on the sidelines and watch because the budget won’t balance.”