Admiral Samuel Paparo

Force in Play

Leads interdictions reaching into the Indian Ocean

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

Directing US bomber presence and allied drills across the Western Pacific

What began with Chinese carrier fighters lighting up Japanese jets with radar near Okinawa has mushroomed into a full-spectrum crisis. After China and Russia sent bombers circling Japan, the US flew B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of Japan.

Updated May 11