Brad Cooper

Force in Play

Overseeing Operation Epic Fury and Persian Gulf maritime operations

The US reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports July 14 and launched a fifth wave of strikes targeting coastal defenses and cruise missile storage on Greater Tunb Island. Iran hit two UAE tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that same day, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight others — the first fatality aboard a civilian vessel since the ceasefire collapsed. Trump announced a 20% toll on Hormuz cargo, then reversed it within hours after Gulf leaders called to object; he said Middle Eastern nations would make investment deals with the US instead.

Updated 1 hour ago

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

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

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.

Updated May 30

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

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

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

Force in Play

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

In the first post-strike readout of

Updated May 15

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