Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Photo by CENTCOM Public Affairs).
While Adm. Brad Cooper touted the task force as a boon for regional security, Centcom declined to say whether any other countries had joined the unit, even…
U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 2d Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, and soldiers with the United Arab Emirates’ Presidential Guard, conduct a simulated force-on-force for the final exercise of Unit Enhancement Training 2-25 on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Oct. 29, 2025. The FINEX consisted of a series of combined arms offensive and counter-insurgency operations at the platoon level, enhancing the proficiency, tactical readiness, and interoperability between the Marine Corps and foreign partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Judith Ann Lazaro)
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)