An AH-64E Apache assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, prepares to land in a forward arming and refueling point in order to receive refuel before conducting operations for Operation Epic Fury in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 2, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
U.S. Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, speaks with the crew on the 1MC during a visit to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69). Cooper interacted with Sailors, recognized the ship’s top performers and toured various spaces. Milius is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operation to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Amanda Dunford)
A U.S. Air Force pilot enters data in a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in the Central Command area of responsibility, March 3, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) speaks alongside US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper (L) during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. Army Maj. Steven McPherson, a joint doctrine team chief with the National Guard Bureau, looks at the interface of the Maven Smart System in Arlington, Virginia Feb. 20. McPherson was in a class to learn the MSS and its capability to process vast amounts of data from weather to troop locations. (U.S. Army Photo by Master Sgt. Whitney Hughes)
An Electronic Advanced Ground Launcher System (EAGLS) counter-UAS fires an Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) Hydra 70 rocket during an Exercise Sky Shield live-fire event in Kuwait, Dec. 4, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Joseph Kumzak)
Earlier this week, Joint Interagency Task Force 401 said it had committed more than $600 million in unmanned aerial system defenses for Operation Epic Fury and stateside…
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump spoke about the successful military mission to rescue a weapons systems officer whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in Iran. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)