WEBVTT 00:02.589 --> 00:04.311 Hi , I'm Admiral Brad Cooper , 00:04.311 --> 00:06.478 commander of US Central Command , here 00:06.478 --> 00:08.478 for my 4th update on Operation Epic 00:08.478 --> 00:10.700 Fury . On day 22 of combat operations , 00:10.700 --> 00:13.109 US forces continue to take bold action 00:13.350 --> 00:15.890 and we remain on plan to eliminate 00:16.190 --> 00:18.246 Iran's ability to project meaningful 00:18.246 --> 00:21.069 power outside its borders . Just 2 days 00:21.069 --> 00:23.236 ago , the US Army launched the longest 00:23.236 --> 00:25.750 field artillery strike in Army combat 00:25.750 --> 00:28.083 history using precision strike missiles . 00:28.219 --> 00:30.275 The strike took out Iranian military 00:30.275 --> 00:32.386 infrastructure , demonstrating the US 00:32.386 --> 00:34.169 military's unmatched reach and 00:34.169 --> 00:37.500 lethality . Iran has lost significant 00:37.500 --> 00:40.290 combat capability over the last 3 weeks . 00:40.580 --> 00:43.020 We are taking out thousands of Iranian 00:43.020 --> 00:45.259 missiles , advanced attack drones , and 00:45.259 --> 00:47.580 all of Iran's navy , which they use to 00:47.580 --> 00:49.900 harass international shipping . Their 00:49.900 --> 00:51.956 navy is not sailing . Their tactical 00:51.956 --> 00:54.067 fighters are not flying , and they've 00:54.067 --> 00:56.289 lost the ability to launch missiles and 00:56.289 --> 00:58.344 drones at the high rates seen at the 00:58.344 --> 01:00.220 beginning of the conflict . Our 01:00.220 --> 01:02.979 progress is obvious . US forces 01:02.979 --> 01:05.339 maintain air superiority over Iran's 01:05.339 --> 01:08.050 skies , having now flown over 8000 01:08.050 --> 01:10.459 combat flights . Our air crews are 01:10.459 --> 01:12.459 performing exceptionally across the 01:12.459 --> 01:14.515 fight , from tankers to fighters and 01:14.515 --> 01:16.900 bombers to land-based and carrier-based 01:16.900 --> 01:20.250 aviation , doing a superb job . Tankers 01:20.430 --> 01:22.597 are extending our reach so that we can 01:22.597 --> 01:24.708 keep constant pressure on the enemy . 01:24.959 --> 01:26.959 Fighters and bombers are delivering 01:26.959 --> 01:29.279 precision strikes against our primary 01:29.279 --> 01:31.446 objectives , and our pilots across the 01:31.446 --> 01:33.557 board are dynamically hunting threats 01:33.557 --> 01:35.446 as well , finding and eliminating 01:35.446 --> 01:38.279 targets in real time . So far we've 01:38.279 --> 01:40.510 struck over 8000 military targets , 01:40.750 --> 01:43.209 including 130 Iranian vessels , 01:43.440 --> 01:45.662 constituting the largest elimination of 01:45.662 --> 01:48.080 a navy over a 3-week period since World 01:48.080 --> 01:51.389 War II . My operational assessment 01:51.389 --> 01:53.309 continues to be Iran's combat 01:53.309 --> 01:55.830 capability is on a steady decline as 01:55.830 --> 01:58.529 our offensive strikes ramp up . While 01:58.529 --> 02:00.309 US forces continue to sustain 02:00.309 --> 02:02.709 overwhelming offensive firepower . I 02:02.709 --> 02:04.730 want to recognize our air defenders 02:04.830 --> 02:06.997 mounting a coordinated defense against 02:06.997 --> 02:09.770 Iran's attacks . We have built the most 02:09.770 --> 02:11.881 extensive air defense umbrella in the 02:11.881 --> 02:14.048 world over the Middle East right now . 02:14.048 --> 02:16.159 This is thanks to years of investment 02:16.159 --> 02:18.214 alongside our allies and partners to 02:18.214 --> 02:20.326 build a robust and integrated air and 02:20.326 --> 02:22.548 missile defense architecture . For more 02:22.548 --> 02:24.770 than a decade , books have been written 02:24.770 --> 02:26.937 about the concept of a Middle East air 02:26.937 --> 02:29.048 defense . Today it's alive and well . 02:29.048 --> 02:31.103 Our Gulf partners in particular have 02:31.103 --> 02:33.214 defended against thousands of Iranian 02:33.214 --> 02:35.490 drone attacks , a clear demonstration 02:35.490 --> 02:37.657 of the strength of our partnerships as 02:37.657 --> 02:40.360 we work shoulder to shoulder . We also 02:40.360 --> 02:43.669 remain zeroed in on dismantling Iran's 02:43.669 --> 02:45.836 decades-old threat to the free flow of 02:45.836 --> 02:47.725 commerce throughout the Strait of 02:47.725 --> 02:49.839 Hormuz . For example , earlier this 02:49.839 --> 02:52.199 week , we dropped multiple 5000 pound 02:52.199 --> 02:54.259 bombs on an underground facility 02:54.259 --> 02:57.210 located along Iran's coastline . The 02:57.210 --> 02:59.089 Iranian regime used the hardened 02:59.089 --> 03:01.210 underground facility to discreetly 03:01.210 --> 03:03.099 store anti-ship cruise missiles , 03:03.289 --> 03:05.345 mobile missile launchers , and other 03:05.345 --> 03:07.400 equipment that presented a dangerous 03:07.400 --> 03:09.622 risk to international shipping . We not 03:09.622 --> 03:11.733 only took out the facility , but also 03:11.733 --> 03:13.789 destroyed intelligence support sites 03:13.789 --> 03:16.011 and missile radar relays that were used 03:16.011 --> 03:17.956 to monitor ship movements . Iran's 03:17.956 --> 03:19.678 ability to threaten freedom of 03:19.678 --> 03:21.845 navigation in and around the Strait of 03:21.845 --> 03:24.067 Hormuz is degraded as a result , and we 03:24.067 --> 03:26.233 will not stop pursuing these targets . 03:26.233 --> 03:28.345 At the beginning of this campaign , I 03:28.345 --> 03:30.456 sent a letter to the more than 50,000 03:30.456 --> 03:32.122 American servicemen and women 03:32.122 --> 03:34.178 supporting Operation Epic Fury . For 03:34.178 --> 03:36.400 our forces serving in the Middle East , 03:36.400 --> 03:38.678 I'd like to reiterate three key points . 03:38.678 --> 03:40.789 Number one , be relentlessly lethal . 03:40.789 --> 03:42.956 We have the momentum . Number two , be 03:42.956 --> 03:44.956 a great teammate . Continue to take 03:44.956 --> 03:47.011 care of one another . And number 3 , 03:47.011 --> 03:49.178 steadier resolve , for we stand on the 03:49.178 --> 03:51.289 shoulders of giants , American heroes 03:51.289 --> 03:53.649 who have served with tenacity , grit , 03:53.710 --> 03:55.988 and honor . Fall back on your training . 03:56.130 --> 03:58.380 It is the best in the world . I just 03:58.380 --> 04:00.713 could not be prouder of our warfighters , 04:00.713 --> 04:02.713 and I know that the American people 04:02.713 --> 04:04.713 share in the same pride . Thanks so 04:04.713 --> 04:05.089 much . Godspeed .