On Monday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Admiral Brad Cooper took to X to provide a brief update on progress in Operation Epic Fury. CENTCOM is the primary command with responsibility over the Middle East. Things appear to be progressing; Iran’s capacity to make war on, well, anyone is still being taken apart.
Update from CENTCOM Commander on Operation Epic Fury: pic.twitter.com/oGJ3QJBz5o
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 16, 2026
Here are a few highlights:
First, as is wholly appropriate, Admiral Cooper makes a point of honoring the names of the service members who tragically perished in the crash of a KC-135 tanker aircraft.
We hold their memories, and their families, their friends and their teammates in our prayers. Their selfless service and their dedication hardens our resolve.
Admiral Cooper then goes on to provide a high-level update:
For 16 days, we’ve delivered overwhelming firepower deep into Iran. This past Friday, U.S. forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, destroying more than 90 Iranian targets, including storage bunkers for naval mines and missiles, and other military infrastructure. To date, our Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aviators have collectively flown more than 6,000 combat flights, demonstrating the unmatched capabilities of America’s joint force as we maintained air superiority over Iranian skies.
The admiral goes on to present videos of key installations being destroyed, along with missile launch sites and, most importantly, manufacturing and weapon storage sites. Here, in my estimation, is the key point to be made:
It’s one thing to defend by striking launchers and intercepting missiles and drones. But it’s another thing to eliminate the wider manufacturing apparatus behind them. And we are doing that today. We’ve talked about it in concept. Here’s what it looks like in reality.
The admiral then goes on to present video and still images of several manufacturing and logistics sites that American bombs and missiles have dismantled.
He continues:
U.S. and partner strikes are doing exactly what they are intended to do: Deliver on very clear military objectives, to eliminate Iran’s ability to project power against Americans, and against its neighbors. We’re also zeroed in on dismantling Iran’s decades-old threat to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.
The admiral mentions Iranian attacks on neighboring nations, including attacks on civilian homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
The key here, out of all the points made in this briefing, is that the CENTCOM and allied forces are now targeting, not only existing weapons and munitions, but also Iran’s capacity to make more missiles, drones, and weapons. That’s important because while we own the skies over Iran and can hit their facilities and infrastructure at will, they have no way of hitting ours. We can make more weapons. Iran’s remaining capability of doing so is being destroyed.
Wars are won and lost by logistics, and that’s how we will win this one.
Read More: President Trump Made a Courageous and Correct Call on Hormuz and Iran’s Actions Prove It
Admiral Cooper concludes by giving full credit and praise to not only the warfighters on the tip of the spear, but also our own vast, efficient logistics apparatus and the men and women who keep those beans and bullets moving forward, because again, that is the only way any war can be done – and the United States has always been very good at that.
In summary, the problem that is the Iranian theocracy is still being resolved with the suitable application of high explosives.
For continuing updates, you can view CENTCOM’s website here.
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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