Brad Cooper

Force in Play

Leading Operation Epic Fury

Since February 28, the US-Iran war has escalated from military and oil targets to critical water infrastructure across the Gulf, now reaching the United Arab Emirates. Key incidents include a March 8 Iranian drone strike on a Bahrain desalination plant, an April 3 attack on Kuwait power and desalination plants with the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery, April 5 strikes on two Kuwait power and water desalination plants plus Bahrain's Bapco oil storage, and April 7 Iranian missiles and drones targeting UAE air defenses and infrastructure. On April 7, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that its prior restraint in targeting oil infrastructure and civilian sites in Gulf states 'no longer applies,' marking an explicit escalation threshold after a US strike on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub.

Updated 7 days ago

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, confirming over 9,000 targets hit, more than 130 naval vessels destroyed, and at least 55 senior regime leaders killed—including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 1, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri on March 26, and on April 6, IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khademi and Quds Force Unit 840 head Yazdan Mir in US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran. Key escalations include Iran's March 18 missile strikes on Israel and Gulf states, Qatar's expulsion of Iranian attachés after the March 19 Ras Laffan attack, the Israeli airstrike killing IRGC spokesman General Ali Mohammad Naeini on March 20, CENTCOM's March 21 update confirming 8,000 targets hit and air superiority, Iran's March 24 missile barrages on Tel Aviv, March 27 Israeli strikes on Iran's central naval arms production site and multiple ballistic missile factories in the Tehran area, Iran's April 2 launch of four missile salvos at Israel including cluster warheads, April 3's downing of a US F-15E Strike Eagle—the first American combat aircraft lost—and April 5's successful rescue of both crew members by US special operations forces after a two-day evasion and extraction operation.

Updated 7 days ago

Force in Play

Overseeing Operation Epic Fury and Persian Gulf maritime operations

The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries 20 million barrels of oil daily—about one-fifth of global supply—has seen traffic plummet over six weeks since US-Israeli strikes on Iran halted flows on February 28, 2026. Over 150 tankers anchored outside the 21-mile-wide chokepoint as IRGC warnings emptied the strait by early March. Minimal outbound traffic resumed mid-March at 2-5 ships per day under Iranian clearance, formalized March 29 as a tolled IRGC checkpoint for 'non-hostile' vessels excluding US/Israel-linked ships. On April 4, the first LNG tanker—the Japan-linked Sohar LNG—successfully exited under the toll regime, though loaded oil tanker flows remain near zero with multiple commercial strikes reported.

Updated Apr 6

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-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

Overseeing the operational scaffolding for stabilization coordination

A Gaza force is being designed like it's real—but the December 16 Doha conference exposed how unreal it remains. U.S. Central Command convened more than 40 countries to game out command structure, basing, and rules of engagement for a proposed U.N.-authorized International Stabilization Force, but attendees failed to agree on the force's mandate or composition. Italy is the only country to have formally committed troops. Fifteen invited nations declined to attend, and Turkey was excluded at Israel's insistence—a sign that coalition-building is entangled with regional politics before a single soldier deploys.

Updated Feb 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 a civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat. Six days later, the US unleashed Operation Hawkeye Strike, with 100 precision munitions hitting 70 ISIS targets across central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery; Jordan sent F-16s. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it "a declaration of vengeance."

Updated Feb 5

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 dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country a year earlier. Six days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched Operation Hawkeye Strike: F-15s, A-10s, Apache helicopters, and HIMARS artillery hammering 70 ISIS targets across central Syria with over 100 precision munitions. Jordan sent fighter jets. Trump called it vengeance. Then U.S. forces kept hunting—11 more raids between December 20-29 killed or captured 25 ISIS operatives and destroyed four weapons caches.

Updated Dec 31, 2025

Force in Play

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

In the first post-strike readout of “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” Jordan confirmed its air force flew alongside U.S. forces in the retaliatory package that hit 70+ ISIS targets across central Syria. While CENTCOM has not released a formal casualty count, multiple reports citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and AFP put ISIS losses at at least five, including a cell leader tied to drone activity in the east.

Updated Dec 21, 2025