WEBVTT 00:00.490 --> 00:02.379 Good afternoon . I'm Admiral Brad 00:02.379 --> 00:04.434 Cooper , the commander of the United 00:04.434 --> 00:06.268 States Central Command . In this 00:06.268 --> 00:08.609 capacity , I lead US military forces in 00:08.609 --> 00:10.720 the Middle East . I'm here to provide 00:10.720 --> 00:12.887 you an update on Operation Epic Fury , 00:12.887 --> 00:15.369 now on our 4th day of execution . First , 00:15.420 --> 00:17.142 I'd like to express my deepest 00:17.142 --> 00:18.920 condolences to the families and 00:18.920 --> 00:20.642 teammates of the extraordinary 00:20.642 --> 00:22.920 Americans who've been killed in action , 00:22.920 --> 00:25.142 and I'd also like to extend our prayers 00:25.142 --> 00:27.309 for a speedy recovery to the wounded . 00:27.309 --> 00:29.253 Yesterday you heard from Secretary 00:29.253 --> 00:31.420 Hickseth and the Chairman of the Joint 00:31.420 --> 00:33.587 Chiefs . Today I'd like to give you an 00:33.587 --> 00:35.753 operational update on where we are and 00:35.753 --> 00:37.809 provide you with some key facts . By 00:37.809 --> 00:39.864 order of the President of the United 00:39.864 --> 00:41.976 States and the Secretary of War , our 00:41.976 --> 00:41.490 military in the Middle East is 00:41.490 --> 00:43.830 undertaking an unprecedented operation 00:44.290 --> 00:46.512 to eliminate Iran's ability to threaten 00:46.512 --> 00:48.512 Americans as they've been doing for 00:48.512 --> 00:50.568 nearly half a century . Having spent 00:50.568 --> 00:52.810 more than 36 years in the military , I 00:52.810 --> 00:54.977 could not be prouder of America's sons 00:54.977 --> 00:56.810 and daughters in uniform who are 00:56.810 --> 00:58.939 answering the call . More than 50,000 00:58.939 --> 01:01.599 troops , 200 fighters , two aircraft 01:01.599 --> 01:03.766 carriers , and bombers from the United 01:03.766 --> 01:05.599 States are participating in this 01:05.599 --> 01:07.710 operation , and more capability is on 01:07.710 --> 01:09.877 the way . These forces bring a massive 01:09.877 --> 01:12.043 amount of firepower , representing the 01:12.043 --> 01:14.266 largest buildup by the US in the Middle 01:14.266 --> 01:16.377 East in a generation . In the opening 01:16.377 --> 01:18.589 hours of Operation Epic Fury , US 01:18.589 --> 01:20.756 Central Command forces , together with 01:20.756 --> 01:22.739 Israel delivered overwhelming and 01:22.739 --> 01:25.190 unprecedented strikes into Iran . Many 01:25.190 --> 01:27.301 of you may remember the shock and awe 01:27.301 --> 01:30.059 strikes of 2003 . The 1st 24 hours of 01:30.059 --> 01:32.170 this operation were nearly double the 01:32.170 --> 01:34.220 scale , and we continue with 24/7 01:34.220 --> 01:37.180 strikes into Iran from seabed to space 01:37.180 --> 01:40.069 and cyberspace . Now we're less than 01:40.069 --> 01:42.309 100 hours into this operation and we've 01:42.309 --> 01:44.589 already struck nearly 2000 targets with 01:44.589 --> 01:47.669 more than 2000 munitions . We have 01:47.669 --> 01:50.069 severely degraded Iran's air defenses 01:50.069 --> 01:52.069 and destroyed hundreds of Iran's 01:52.069 --> 01:54.125 ballistic missiles , launchers , and 01:54.125 --> 01:56.180 drones , and in simple terms , we're 01:56.180 --> 01:58.402 focused on shooting all the things that 01:58.402 --> 02:00.513 can shoot at us . Our B-2 bombers and 02:00.513 --> 02:02.625 B-1 bombers have executed uncontested 02:02.625 --> 02:04.513 surgical strikes against multiple 02:04.513 --> 02:06.625 missile facilities deep inside Iran . 02:06.709 --> 02:08.789 And then just last night , a B-52 02:08.789 --> 02:10.900 bomber force struck ballistic missile 02:10.900 --> 02:13.130 and command and control posts . We are 02:13.130 --> 02:16.320 also sinking the Iranian navy , the 02:16.320 --> 02:18.720 entire navy . Thus far we've destroyed 02:18.720 --> 02:21.369 17 Iranian ships , including the most 02:21.369 --> 02:23.536 operational Iranian submarine that now 02:23.536 --> 02:25.759 has a hole in its side . For decades , 02:25.880 --> 02:27.679 the Iranian regime has harassed 02:27.679 --> 02:29.846 international shipping . Today there's 02:29.846 --> 02:31.960 not a single Iranian ship underway in 02:31.960 --> 02:34.071 the Arabian Gulf , Strait of Hormuz , 02:34.080 --> 02:36.559 or Gulf of Oman , and we will not stop . 02:36.970 --> 02:38.970 We will continue to conduct dynamic 02:38.970 --> 02:41.026 targeting operations . We're hunting 02:41.026 --> 02:43.192 Iran's last remaining mobile ballistic 02:43.192 --> 02:45.303 missile launchers to eliminate what I 02:45.303 --> 02:47.414 would characterize as their lingering 02:47.414 --> 02:49.692 launch capability . Now in retaliation , 02:49.692 --> 02:51.748 the Iranian regime has launched over 02:51.748 --> 02:54.070 500 ballistic missiles and over 2000 02:54.070 --> 02:56.360 drones . To be clear , Iran is 02:56.360 --> 02:59.199 indiscriminately targeting civilians as 02:59.199 --> 03:01.421 they launch these missiles and drones . 03:01.421 --> 03:03.588 You've seen it on TV . The evidence is 03:03.588 --> 03:05.810 crystal clear and overwhelming . Having 03:05.810 --> 03:07.643 said this , we are seeing Iran's 03:07.643 --> 03:09.755 ability to hit us and our partners is 03:09.755 --> 03:12.000 declining , while our combat power , on 03:12.000 --> 03:14.111 the other hand , is building , and my 03:14.111 --> 03:16.278 overall operational assessment is that 03:16.278 --> 03:18.389 we are ahead of our game plan . Along 03:18.389 --> 03:20.444 the way , every single branch of our 03:20.444 --> 03:22.444 military is achieving unprecedented 03:22.444 --> 03:24.667 success . I'll talk about just a few of 03:24.667 --> 03:26.778 them . Our naval forces have deployed 03:26.778 --> 03:28.778 multiple waves of cruise missiles , 03:28.778 --> 03:30.611 obliterating Iranian command and 03:30.611 --> 03:32.667 control and air defense capabilities 03:32.667 --> 03:35.000 from two aircraft carrier strike groups . 03:35.000 --> 03:37.111 We're squeezing Iran from the sea and 03:37.111 --> 03:39.333 have them backed into their own ports . 03:39.333 --> 03:41.389 US air forces are doing what they do 03:41.389 --> 03:43.500 best , executing a high volume of air 03:43.500 --> 03:46.139 strikes right into Iran . Operationally , 03:46.300 --> 03:48.522 the two most powerful air forces in the 03:48.522 --> 03:50.419 world , the US and Israel , are 03:50.419 --> 03:52.419 dominating the skies of the world's 03:52.419 --> 03:54.850 largest state sponsor of terror . Our 03:54.850 --> 03:56.572 US Army soldiers are defending 03:56.572 --> 03:58.572 ourselves and our partners , and an 03:58.572 --> 04:00.517 historic first , the US Army fired 04:00.517 --> 04:02.572 long-range precision strike missiles 04:02.572 --> 04:04.739 called PRISMs in combat , providing an 04:04.739 --> 04:07.600 unrivaled deep strike capability . Also , 04:07.610 --> 04:09.388 for the first time , US Central 04:09.388 --> 04:11.554 Command's drone task force called Task 04:11.554 --> 04:13.369 Force Scorpion Strike launched 04:13.369 --> 04:15.258 countless one-way attack drones , 04:15.258 --> 04:17.489 achieving massive effects . I'd like to 04:17.489 --> 04:19.656 point out these drones were originally 04:19.656 --> 04:21.767 an Iranian design . We took them back 04:21.767 --> 04:23.767 to America , made them better , and 04:23.767 --> 04:26.269 fired them right back at Iran . I just 04:26.269 --> 04:28.269 could not be prouder of our men and 04:28.269 --> 04:30.436 women in uniform leveraging innovation 04:30.436 --> 04:32.380 to create dilemmas for the enemy . 04:32.429 --> 04:35.029 There is no adversary to determine , no 04:35.029 --> 04:37.029 mission too difficult for the great 04:37.029 --> 04:39.251 soldiers , sailors , airmen , marines , 04:39.251 --> 04:41.307 guardians , and coast guardsmen that 04:41.307 --> 04:43.473 make up the most powerful military the 04:43.473 --> 04:45.418 world has ever seen . Our military 04:45.418 --> 04:47.585 objectives are crystal clear , and our 04:47.585 --> 04:49.473 people are executing an immensely 04:49.473 --> 04:51.362 complex and historic mission with 04:51.362 --> 04:53.585 relentless lethality , conviction , and 04:53.585 --> 04:55.862 professionalism , and we've just begun . 04:56.049 --> 04:58.160 But I have the utmost confidence that 04:58.160 --> 04:59.882 we alongside our partners will 04:59.882 --> 05:01.660 absolutely achieve our military 05:01.660 --> 05:03.605 objectives . To all our warriors , 05:03.605 --> 05:05.049 Godspeed . Thanks so much .