In a letter addressed to U.S. troops the same day that American forces began striking targets inside Iran, the top commander in the Middle East said that the military was moving from “deterrence into active combat” and that those involved in the operation, dubbed Epic Fury, would “change the course of human history.”
The letter, dated Feb. 28 and signed “C.B. Cooper II,” was written by Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, Task & Purpose confirmed.
“To America’s extraordinary sons and daughters deployed around the Middle East, By order of the President of the United States, we are embarking on a mission of profound consequence. The time for preparation is over. The time for action has arrived,” Cooper wrote.
The U.S. military’s strategy has long turned to deterrence, a concept that aims to convince actors, nation-states or non-state actors, like terrorist groups, that the cost of taking action against the U.S. will be too high to be worth it. It is even part of the Department of Defense’s stated mission, which is “to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation’s security.” But in his letter, Cooper writes that the operation against Iran marks a turning point for U.S. forces, sending them into “active combat.”
Working alongside Israeli forces, the U.S. struck more than 1,250 targets in Iran and killed the country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The letter was addressed to troops on the same day that the U.S. launched its operation at 1:15 a.m. — messages from commanders to their forces on the eve of battle, or at the commencement of hostilities, are a common military practice.
As Cooper addressed those deployed for “this critical mission,” his letter appeared intended to cast the operation, which has already cost the lives of American servicemembers, as payback, of a sort, against the government of Iran.
“Since 1979, the Iranian Regime has killed and wounded thousands of Americans, and they continue to threaten Americans and our friends. Today, by your courage and grit, you will change the course of human history,” he wrote. “You are the shield of the free world, and today, you are its sharpest sword. As the eyes of the world fix upon us, stay safe, and GODSPEED.”
As part of the operation, the U.S. used B-2 bombers, EA-18G Growlers, as well as a wide array of fighter jets and attack planes, from F-15s, to F-16s, F-18s, F-22s, F-35s and A-10s. Additionally, the operation has involved Patriot and THAAD Missile Systems, MQ-9 Reaper drones, one-way attack drones and other weapons to strike more than 1,000 Iranian sites and assets, which included command and control centers, military headquarters, ballistic and anti-ship missile sites, Navy ships and submarines, according to CENTCOM.
On Monday, CENTCOM officials said six U.S. troops had been killed in an Iranian attack, 18 were “seriously wounded,” and others suffered shrapnel injuries and concussions. On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that service members were killed when an Iranian strike hit a “tactical operation center that was fortified.” CNN reported that troops received no warning before the strike hit a makeshift operations center in Kuwait that a source described as a trailer with office space.
During the operation, six pilots and weapons officers were forced to eject from their fighter jets after being shot down over Kuwait by U.S. Patriot missiles fired by Kuwaiti air defense forces.
A copy of the statement can be read in its entirety below:
