U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

Force in Play

Oversees Operation Epic Fury execution; defends against Iranian retaliation Mar 1

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has been operational in the Arabian Sea since late January 2026, with the USS Gerald R. Ford joining in the Mediterranean, creating dual-carrier presence amid Iran's crackdown on protests that began in December 2025. On February 25, the U.S. deployed 12 F-22 Raptors to Israel's Ovda Airbase, the first such deployment, alongside KC-46 tankers at Ben Gurion in the largest Middle East buildup since 2003. On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched 'Operation Epic Fury,' striking Iranian nuclear sites, naval forces, and military infrastructure, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated on March 1 with missile and drone barrages on 27 U.S. bases, Israeli headquarters in Tel Aviv, and Gulf sites in UAE, Qatar, and other nations, causing civilian casualties.

Updated Mar 2

Force in Play

Conducting Operation Epic Fury

The last time the United States sank Iranian warships was April 18, 1988. Thirty-eight years later, American forces destroyed nine Iranian naval vessels in a single day and demolished the country's naval headquarters at Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman. The strikes came after Iran attempted to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, the 21-mile-wide passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply flows, broadcasting radio warnings that no commercial ship would be allowed to pass.

Updated Mar 1

Force in Play

Executing withdrawal from Syria

The United States began bombing ISIS targets in Syria in September 2014. Eleven years later, Washington announced it will withdraw all remaining troops within two months—ending a ground presence that once numbered over 2,000 soldiers. The withdrawal follows a cascade of changes: Assad's fall in December 2024, a new HTS-led government taking control, and an agreement integrating America's Kurdish allies into the Syrian national army.

Updated Feb 18