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Brad Cooper

Brad Cooper

Commander, US Central Command (CENTCOM)

Appears in 10 stories

Stories

US strikes dismantle Iran's surface fleet after Strait of Hormuz blockade attempt

Force in Play

Commanding military operations against Iran

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 passage that carries roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

Updated 3 days ago

Oil tankers halt Strait of Hormuz transit after US-Israel strikes on Iran

Force in Play

Visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on August 15 amid crew reports of food shortages and mental health strain after nine months at sea

The 60-day window set by the June Islamabad memorandum expired the week of August 17 without an extension from either side. Hormuz traffic fell to single-digit daily crossings: as few as three vessels on some days, against about 120 before the war. Roughly 520 commercial ships sit stuck inside the Gulf, and Iran's oil exports through the strait have dropped 94%.

Updated Sep 4

Iran strikes US bases in Jordan after American strike on Larak Island

Force in Play

Oversees US military operations in the Middle East

US strikes on Iranian territory in the first days of September killed 18 people, Iran's health ministry said, including civilians at a wedding in Sirik county. Iran answered with ballistic missile and drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq's Kurdistan region. Jordan said it intercepted 10 of 13 missiles; the Pentagon said its bases were not hit.

Updated Sep 4

US keeps seizing Iran-linked tankers after lifting Hormuz blockade

Force in Play

Commanding CENTCOM through active strikes on Iranian radar sites as ceasefire frays

On June 8, a US Navy F/A-18 from USS Abraham Lincoln disabled the Palau-flagged tanker Marivex in the Gulf of Oman, the seventh vessel put out of action since April 13. The next day, a US Army Apache went down near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's IRGC Navy claimed a speedboat shot it down; CENTCOM's investigation remains open.

Updated Jun 9

US-Iran war escalates to water infrastructure across the Gulf

Force in Play

Leading Operation Epic Fury

Since February 28, the US-Iran war has expanded to include critical water infrastructure. On March 8, Iran struck a Bahrain desalination plant.

Updated May 30

US and Israel launch joint military campaign against Iran

Force in Play

Directing operations; overseeing continued leadership decapitation strikes testing air superiority claims

Operation Epic Fury, launched jointly by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, reached day 39 with the heaviest strikes yet on Iran. The campaign has confirmed over 9,000 targets hit, more than 130 naval vessels destroyed, and at least 55 senior regime leaders killed.

Updated May 30

ISIS strikes back after Assad's fall

Force in Play

Leading counter-ISIS operations in Syria and Iraq

A lone ISIS gunman killed two Iowa National Guardsmen and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025—the first American combat deaths since Bashar al-Assad fled the country a year earlier. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded with Operation Hawkeye Strike.

Updated May 16

Operation Hawkeye Strike: US launches multi-week campaign against ISIS

Force in Play

Coordinating operations with Syrian government

On December 13, 2025, a Syrian security officer allegedly affiliated with ISIS opened fire on US troops near Palmyra, killing two Iowa National Guard members (Staff Sgts. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard) and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat. The US responded six days later with Operation Hawkeye Strike: 100 precision munitions against 70 ISIS targets in central Syria via fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, plus Jordanian F-16s, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called 'a declaration of vengeance.'

Updated May 16

Hawkeye strike: a Palmyra ambush drags the U.S. back into big-ticket warfighting in Syria

Force in Play

Operational lead; argues strikes are required to prevent ISIS external plotting.

In the first post-strike readout of

Updated May 15

Doha draws the blueprint for a Gaza stabilization force—before anyone agrees to send troops

Force in Play

Overseeing the operational scaffolding for stabilization coordination

A Gaza force is being designed like it's real, but the December 16 Doha conference exposed disagreements over mandate and composition—U.S. Central Command convened 40+ countries to plan command structure, basing, and rules of engagement, yet failed to achieve consensus. Italy is the only country to formally commit troops; 15 nations declined and Turkey was excluded at Israel's insistence.

Updated May 15