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The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, offers a new day for Iran and hopes for peace in the Middle East. And it comes as a direct result of the precision of US air power and space power.
“He could not avoid the Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, in cooperation with Israel, there was nothing he, or the other leaders who were killed with him, could do,” said President Donald Trump on Saturday afternoon.
The list is long: B-2s for Operation Midnight Hammer, Space Force satellites that track missile launches, incredible killer technology for exo-atmospheric intercepts, brilliant surveillance and teams of Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps pilots on strike missions and drone defenses.
The dramatic contribution of Operation Epic Fury is an increase in hope. Trump was right to seize this moment. Iran’s airspace was still exposed after the US and Israeli attacks in 2025. In the coming days, Operation Epic Fury must destroy Iran’s remaining military power. This is a way to build peace in the region, leaving America free to focus on containing China and protecting its Western Hemisphere home coast.
Air Force F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, along with two aircraft carriers, and other ground-based fighters, are leading the most complex air campaign ever launched by the US military. Khamenei’s death is history. However, the first metric of success is the destruction of Iran’s military power. Here are three important things as Operation Epic Fury unfolds.
Destroy the Arrows
The main military objective and the main target set is to destroy Iran’s missiles. You can see why; just look at the strikes launched by Iran on Israel, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and more. On the left side of the boil, it would be the US next. “They are trying to acquire intercontinental ballistic missiles,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Missiles are spread across the country, from the hard-hitting missile production facilities in Shahroud in the northeast to the Hamadan airfield, near Iran’s western border. Iran’s missiles have already reached Europe and the Defense Intelligence Agency estimates that Iran will have an intercontinental missile capable of hitting the US within a decade. With Operation Epic Fury, President Trump just saved your kids from worrying about a nuclear attack on Iran.
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Air strike campaigns are usually planned with three days of selected targets and forces assigned to the tank airstrips. Wait at least 3–4 days to complete the first round target set and bomb damage assessment. All planes leaving their targets after being hit have “gun camera” pictures of the impact points, along with details of the flight crew about the mission and any threats they encountered. Chasing down any “lost” leadership and ensuring consistent site destruction will be a key factor in how long Operation Epic Fury lasts.
Also, glimpses of Iran against Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and other places reveal many possible targets. Target sets are expanding as the sensors pick up what the military calls “variable targets” – targets that you see when they start firing.
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With multiple targets, some may have to be hit multiple times. The occasional dangling bomb or near miss will lead to decisions about banning. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander, United States Central Command, will work 24/7 to direct the campaign – but they will take the time necessary to complete the task. No one runs out of weapons. Don’t forget dozens of US Air Force C-17 planes have been tracked to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere lately. They were full of weapons and stuff. They won’t end soon. For the Navy, continuous replenishment ships are stationed nearby, and reloading of large missiles can take place at regional ports.
Protect US Forces
US forces are playing offense and defense at the same time. Make no mistake. This is a combat zone. President Trump has been briefed on possible losses.
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Essential to both offense and defense is the US Space Force. Their satellites are an early warning against Iranian missile launches. The monitors have calibrated American space assets to hone precision weapon guidance and thwart Iran’s attempts to use drones and missiles.
Defense against Iran’s medium-range ballistic missiles comes from the US Navy’s Aegis-class destroyers with their Standard Missile SM-3 and SM-6 variants. SM-3s shot down Iranian ballistic missiles at 65,000 feet. Their mission is to shoot down intermediate-range missiles when Iran attacks bases such as Al Udeid in Qatar. What if Iran takes a field gun from an American aircraft carrier? It is doubtful that the Iranians can detect and target them, but American aircraft carriers have strong hulls, double hulls and layers of defensive tactics to chew up Iranian missiles or drones.
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Speaking of which, count on the US Air Force F-22s, F-35s, F-15s and F-16s and the Navy F/A-18EFs and F-35Cs for drone defense. Their highly sensitive radars detect drones and cruise missiles. Fortunately, US Navy and US Air Force pilots have gotten a lot of practice fighting drones dealing with the Houthis and Iran over the past two years. Carrier Air Wing 9 on the USS Abraham Lincoln took down an Iranian drone and a Marine Corps F-35C stealth fighter back on Feb. 3. Adding Carrier Air Wing 8 aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford expanded the Navy’s ability to maintain 24/7 air roots.
And of course, the Patriot and THAAD batteries on US bases are a deadly “catcher’s mitt” that destroys missiles aimed at the bases.
Deter China
Although not the direct goal of Operation Epic Fury, these in-your-face strikes should scare China. Two Chinese warships sitting near the Strait of Hormuz will try to monitor all this. They realize that the US can use stealthy, precision air power in an arc of 2,000 miles. Because there is another strategic reality driving Operation Epic Fury. Trump needs to complete the detente in Iran now, so our military can focus on deterring China.
Iran’s killing of 32,000 or more of its own people made Trump’s decision difficult. Their foolish refusal to stop the enrichment of nuclear weapons and missiles destroyed the empire.
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“They wanted to do bad things,” Trump said Saturday morning.
That ugly chapter of Iran’s history is over.
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