A massive military operation, one of the largest in decades, is underway in the Middle East, and according to U.S. Central Command, it’s only escalating. Days into the campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” American and Israeli forces have unleashed a relentless barrage against Iranian military infrastructure.
Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command, revealed the scale of the deployment as historic. Over 50,000 troops, 200 fighter aircraft, two aircraft carriers, and a growing number of additional assets are now actively engaged in the operation. This represents the largest U.S. military buildup in the region in a generation.
The initial phase of “Epic Fury” echoes the “Shock and Awe” tactics of the 2003 Iraq War, but surpasses it in scope. Within the first 24 hours, the intensity of strikes was nearly double that of the opening strikes in Iraq twenty years prior. Attacks are continuous, spanning land, sea, air, cyber, and even space-based domains.
The results, less than 100 hours into the operation, are already significant. Nearly 2,000 Iranian targets have been struck, utilizing over 2,000 precision munitions. Hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones have been destroyed, and Iranian air defense systems have been severely weakened.
The core strategy, as articulated by Admiral Cooper, is direct and uncompromising: “We’re focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us.” Long-range bomber fleets, including B-2 stealth bombers, B-1 strategic bombers, and B-52 strike packages, are conducting surgical strikes deep within Iran, targeting missile production and launch facilities.
The U.S. is actively dismantling Iran’s naval capabilities. Seventeen Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed, including significant damage to Iran’s most operational submarine, left with a substantial breach in its hull. For decades, Iran has threatened international shipping; that threat, according to CENTCOM, has been neutralized.
Currently, no Iranian ships are operating in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman. Iran has already launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, many indiscriminately targeting civilian areas. Evidence, officials state, is “crystal clear and overwhelming.”
Despite the barrage, Iran’s ability to retaliate is diminishing as its missile infrastructure is systematically dismantled. “Iran’s ability to hit us and our partners is declining, while our combat power is building,” Cooper stated. The skies over Iran are now dominated by the air forces of the United States and Israel.
The U.S. Army has deployed Precision Strike Missiles (PRISMs) in combat for the first time, delivering long-range strikes against Iranian targets. Task Force Scorpion Strike, a specialized drone unit, has also played a crucial role, utilizing one-way attack drones to devastating effect.
In a striking turn of events, many of these drones were originally based on Iranian designs. “We took them back to America, made them better, and fired them right back at Iran,” Cooper revealed. The operation is proceeding with “relentless lethality” and “conviction.”
Admiral Cooper’s message is unequivocal: the mission to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten American interests is ahead of schedule. And, he emphasized, “We’ve just begun.”
