Operation Epic Fury's Goals

Austin Bay on Mar 4, 2026

On March 2, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine held a joint press conference at the Pentagon. They both said achieving the administration's operational military goals would determine the conflict's duration.

"To be clear ... this is not a single overnight operation," Caine said. "The military objectives that CENTCOM (Central Command) and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve, and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work."

The Joint Force is Pentagonese for all U.S. military forces and resources -- from submarines to infantry sergeants to spy satellites.

Here's Caine's bottom line in short form: results matter. Verified combat results that demonstrate Operation Epic Fury has achieved U.S. military and political objectives will determine the length of war, not a calendar with an arbitrary deadline.

Caine also said starting Epic Fury "marked the culmination of months, and in some cases, years of deliberate planning and refinement" against specific targets.

Hegseth, speaking before Caine gave his operational updates, addressed the strategic objectives. Hegseth said a key U.S. strategic objective is to "prevent Iran from (having) the ability to project power outside of its borders."

In other words, the U.S. intends to eliminate the Iranian regime's ability to threaten and terrorize everyone outside Iran's national borders.

Hegseth listed some of the operational objectives that will achieve the strategic objective: "Destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons. ... We're hitting them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically."

Hegseth argued the U.S. goal is not Iraq-like regime change: "We set the terms of this war, from start to finish. Our ambitions are not utopian. They are realistic, scoped to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies. This is not Iraq. This is not endless."

OK, no nukes is clear. June 2025's Operation Midnight Hammer sent that message, but Iran's lunatic ayatollah regime thought it could dawdle and delay -- tactics that have worked in the past. But President Donald Trump means it.

Destroying missile launchers, missile stockpiles, missile manufacturing capabilities -- with very precise intel, that's doable. Sink Iran's navy -- OK, doable, with a caveat. Completely eliminating the ayatollah regime's ability to close the Strait of Hormuz means also destroying its mine-laying capabilities and small boat flotilla. Standoff weapons (air strikes, missiles, artillery) can destroy those targets, but doing so requires detailed intelligence and time to destroy small, dispersed targets -- which supports Caine's counsel that achieving Epic Fury's operational goals will take time.

Near the end of his initial press statement, Hegseth said, "... We hope the Iranian people take advantage of this incredible opportunity. President Trump has been clear: Now is your time."

Later, in response to a reporter's question, Hegseth repeated his appeal: "To the people of Iran, this is your moment. There were -- the world was seized by these crowds and then seized by the reality of this regime killing tens of thousands of innocent protesters. So, we saw the nature of the regime yet again exposed. We saw many, many of the Iranian people seek a change there. This is their moment to take advantage of it, for sure."

Which makes what Hegseth called destroying "other security infrastructure" a very intriguing phrase.

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For its own immediate security, Iran's Shia Islamic revolutionary dictatorship relies on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) paramilitary thugs, elite bodyguards and various secret police units.

Over the past 47 years, these organizations have murdered hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens -- an estimated 35,000 since the latest round of anti-regime street demonstrations began in December 2025.

Destroying this local "security infrastructure" would definitely aid the Iranian people. Apparently, Israel is doing just that. A UAE media outlet reported on March 1 that an Israeli air raid killed the chief of intelligence for the Islamic Republic of Iran Police Force (IRIF, aka Faraja). The IRGC has several hundred weapons caches. Targeting them will take time -- but what a lifesaving use of American bombs.

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To find out more about Austin Bay and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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