Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, delivered a direct message to American troops fighting in Operation Epic Fury. In less than 40 days, those forces destroyed the military machine Iran spent over 40 years constructing. Cooper stated the facts plainly: the troops’ courage, grit, and ingenuity served America extremely well.
He closed by honoring the 13 fallen warriors who gave their lives in the operation. Cooper made clear that U.S. men and women in uniform represent the best of America. He expressed pride in serving alongside them and stated that the American people share that pride. His final words to the warriors were straightforward:
“stay sharp, remain resolved, and continue to take care of one another.”
This speech from Cooper captures the raw outcome of Operation Epic Fury, which launched on February 28, 2026, under direct orders from President Donald Trump. The operation targeted Iran’s offensive missile capabilities, its missile production sites, its navy, and the broader security infrastructure that propped up the regime’s threats. Trump set the objectives with precision: prevent Iran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons, dismantle its ability to arm proxies, and eliminate its capacity to project power across the region. Cooper oversaw the execution from CENTCOM headquarters, coordinating strikes that hit more than 13,000 targets inside Iran.
- Over 10,000 dynamic targets identified and destroyed in real time.
- More than 130 Iranian naval vessels sunk or destroyed.
- Two-thirds of Iran’s missile, drone, and naval production facilities wiped out.
- Ballistic missile strikes from Iran dropped 90 percent; drone attacks fell 83 percent.
The speed of the collapse exposes the hollowness of the Iranian regime’s military posture. For 40 years, Tehran poured resources into asymmetric capabilities—swarms of fast attack boats, coastal missile batteries, underground drone factories, and a network of proxies funded through oil smuggling and sanctions evasion. Those systems were designed to harass shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, threaten U.S. bases, and extend regime influence through Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria.
Operation Epic Fury shredded that structure using less than 10 percent of America’s total combat power. Precision strikes from air and sea platforms, combined with real-time intelligence and rapid targeting cycles, overwhelmed Iranian defenses before they could respond effectively. A drone carrier the size of a World War II aircraft carrier was hit in the final hours of one update and left on fire. Shipyard after shipyard fell silent. Production lines for missiles and drones that once fed proxy attacks now stand in ruins.
🚨 JUST IN: CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper lays it straight for our troops
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 9, 2026
"In less than 40 DAYS, YOU destroyed the military that Iran built for over 40 years!" 🇺🇸
"Your courage, grit, and ingenuity have served America extremely well."
"Finally, I want to close by… pic.twitter.com/R65DtB65Ia
This outcome stems from deliberate planning that began well before the February launch. Trump received briefings on military options and gave the order after Iran refused multiple rounds of negotiations to abandon its nuclear path. The operation integrated U.S. assets with Israeli intelligence and operational support where it advanced shared objectives of neutralizing the threat. Cooper, a surface warfare officer with extensive experience in the region from prior commands including Fifth Fleet, directed the campaign with focus on measurable degradation. His updates tracked the decline in Iranian combat effectiveness in clear terms. Iranian forces no longer sustain the tempo of attacks seen in the first weeks. Their command nodes, logistics hubs, and manufacturing base suffered systematic elimination. The 13 fallen warriors paid the price for this advance. Each loss represents a direct cost of confronting a regime that killed over 1,000 Americans through proxies and direct actions over nearly five decades. Cooper honored them without ceremony or excess words, tying their sacrifice to the mission’s success.
The power structure in Tehran relied on this military apparatus to maintain internal control and external leverage. Decades of investment in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps created a parallel force that enriched regime insiders while exporting terror. Sanctions relief under previous administrations funneled cash that rebuilt these capabilities after earlier setbacks. Globalist networks and back-room energy deals kept the regime afloat, allowing it to stockpile components for missiles and centrifuges despite public denials. Operation Epic Fury cut through those layers. * Targeted the industrial base to prevent reconstitution of forces.
- Priority strikes on shipyards using foreign-supplied engines and electronics.
- Repeated strikes on missile facilities hidden in mountains or disguised as civilian sites.
The result leaves Iran unable to rebuild its offensive capacity for years. Its proxies face supply shortages. The threat to commercial shipping and U.S. partners drops to levels not seen in recent memory.
President Trump’s decision to authorize Epic Fury aligned with the America First priority of eliminating direct threats to U.S. security without open-ended nation-building. The operation avoided massive ground commitments. It leveraged American technological superiority in targeting, stealth, and standoff weapons to achieve strategic effects at minimal relative cost in manpower. Cooper’s command structure maintained operational tempo while adapting to Iranian attempts at dispersal and concealment. The 40-day timeline demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated joint operations under unified command. Air assets provided persistent surveillance and strike capability. Naval forces controlled key waterways and executed surface engagements. Special operations elements supported targeting in denied areas. The combination produced results that conventional analysis from establishment circles claimed were impossible against a “hardened” adversary.
The 13 fallen warriors stand as the human measure of the campaign. Their names and specific actions remain part of the internal record, but their sacrifice enabled the destruction of a military that threatened American interests for generations. Cooper’s message to the troops reinforces the chain of responsibility. Warriors execute the mission. Leaders provide the direction and resources. The American people, through their elected commander in chief, set the strategic goal. Pride in that force is not abstract. It rests on tangible victories: sunken fleets, silenced production lines, and a regime stripped of its primary tools of coercion. Cooper’s closing directive—
“stay sharp, remain resolved, take care of one another”
—addresses the ongoing reality. The operation achieved its core objectives, but vigilance continues. Residual Iranian capabilities require monitoring. Proxy remnants may attempt opportunistic strikes. The force must maintain readiness for any escalation ordered from the top.
This campaign resets the balance of power in the Middle East. Iran no longer projects the same level of conventional or asymmetric threat. Its nuclear infrastructure suffered parallel degradation in related strikes. The regime’s internal cohesion faces new pressures as military defeat exposes leadership failures. Global actors who once hedged bets on Iranian longevity now recalibrate. America First execution through decisive military action delivers results where prolonged diplomacy and incremental sanctions failed. Cooper’s words to the troops distill the truth: in under 40 days, U.S. forces accomplished what the Iranian regime believed impossible. The military they built over four decades lies in wreckage. The cost included 13 American lives. The gain is a measurable reduction in direct threats to the United States and its partners.
The operation confirms the superiority of American warfighting when unleashed with clear objectives. Troops operating under Cooper’s command executed with precision and lethality. The fallen are remembered in the mission’s success. The force remains postured for whatever comes next. Iran’s military defeat stands as the direct result of strategic decisions made in Washington and carried out in the field. No external power dictated the timeline or the scope. The United States dictated the outcome. Operation Epic Fury ends the era of unchecked Iranian military expansion. The troops who executed it delivered exactly what their commander described. The rest of the world now faces the fact that American resolve, when applied directly, dismantles even long-standing threats in short order.
