Top U.S. military leadership has outlined the initial chronology and operational elements of the U.S. campaign in Iran, describing how presidential authorization, multi-domain preparations and a synchronized strike wave set the operation in motion. The military has reported four U.S. service members killed and four others seriously wounded.
Final authorization and pre-strike preparations - February 27
At 3:38 p.m. ET (2038 GMT) on February 27, U.S. Central Command received the final presidential authorization to proceed. The recorded order from the President read: "Operation Epic Fury is approved. No aborts. Good luck." In the hours that followed, U.S. forces implemented final checks and rehearsals: air defense batteries tested systems intended to respond to Iranian attacks; pilots and crews conducted last rehearsals of strike packages; air crews began loading final munitions; and two carrier strike groups repositioned toward their launching points.
Concurrently, the first actions to shape the battlespace were taken by U.S. Cyber Command and U.S. Space Command. Those commands worked to disrupt, degrade and blind Iran's ability to perceive, communicate and react ahead of the kinetic phase of the operation.
Launch and initial strikes - February 28
At 1:15 a.m. ET on February 28 (0615 GMT / 9:45 a.m. Iran time), more than 100 aircraft operating from both land bases and sea platforms launched in what was described as "a single synchronized wave." The daylight strike was conducted in response to a trigger event carried out by the Israel Defense Forces, which U.S. officials said was enabled by U.S. intelligence. That reference was understood to point to Israel's surprise strike on Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, aided by U.S. intelligence.
The first ordnance expended included Tomahawk missiles launched by the U.S. Navy, while ground forces employed precision standoff weapons. U.S. strikes hit more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours of the operation.
Follow-on strikes and defensive operations - March 1-2
The initial follow-on phase concentrated on degrading Iran's command and control networks, naval forces, ballistic missile sites and intelligence infrastructure. The stated aim was to "daze and confuse" Iran's ability to coordinate and respond. According to senior U.S. military descriptions, the combined effects of the strikes produced air superiority, enhancing the protection of U.S. forces and permitting continued operations over Iranian territory.
Long-range assets were employed, including U.S. B-2 bombers that flew a 37-hour round-trip sortie from the continental United States. Separately, Israeli forces conducted hundreds of sorties against numerous targets.
Defensive and missile-intercept capabilities remain active: U.S. Patriot and THAAD batteries, together with Navy destroyers equipped for ballistic missile defense, have been executing intercepts of hundreds of missiles aimed at U.S. and partner forces. The operation also reports a continuing threat from one-way attack drones 57 hours into the campaign.
The operational account provided by the Joint Chiefs chairman underscores a multi-domain approach that integrated cyber and space effects, synchronized air and naval strike packages, long-range bomber employment and layered missile defense. Casualty figures reported so far stand at four U.S. service members killed and four seriously wounded as the campaign continues.