What the US Army Is Doing on Day Three of Operation Epic Fury
The Army’s involvement is part of a broader joint campaign involving the Air Force and Navy. While the Navy’s carriers (like the USS Abraham Lincoln) and the Air Force’s stealth bombers handle the “deep” strikes, the Army focuses on regional stability and precision ground-based fires. A major success of this joint planning was the elimination of 40 senior Iranian commanders, including Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi. Army intelligence assets and coordination with the IDF were pivotal in identifying the locations of these high-ranking officials. Furthermore, the Army’s presence in Iraq and Syria (totaling about 3,500 troops) serves as a deterrent to Iranian-backed proxies who might attempt to open a second front. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, while the Army doesn’t sail ships, its land-based anti-ship capabilities and radar sites provide critical “overwatch” for the Navy. Currently, the Strait remains open, but the risk to commercial shipping is at an all-time high, stalling much of the world’s oil traffic.