Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, issued a stark warning to troops on July 28: online cellphone videos are directly aiding Iran in targeting American bases. The top US commander for the Middle East stated that Iran benefits from seeing the success or failure of its strikes in near real time. This critical intelligence is gathered by searching news reports and online posts, including footage from service members' cellphones.
Cooper's previously unreported letter emphasized that the "direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries." He urged troops to "redouble our focus on operational security," though his memo didn't prescribe specific steps. Captain Timothy Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesperson, confirmed the message served as a general reminder on operational security, one of many such communications from Admiral Cooper.
In Jordan, a frequent target of Iranian aggression, some US troops have been informed their phones will be confiscated in the coming days. Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed this development. A third source indicated such a move was under consideration across the region due to operational security concerns, but didn't present confiscation as certain. This potential seizure has fueled anxiety among family members, already on edge from recent Iranian claims of deadly strikes throughout the Middle East.
Cooper cited a specific incident from July 17, just 9 days ago, where a video posted online showed a US service member recording soldiers running for shelter during a deadly Iranian attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The footage, captured on Meta smart glasses with a built-in camera, was subsequently posted on Instagram. "Video captured from a service member's Meta glasses was posted on Instagram showing where and how the individual had evacuated to a bunker during an Iranian missile and drone attack," Cooper wrote.
Iran typically faces significant challenges in determining the success or failure of its strikes, largely due to US military electronic jamming and other tactics employed in war zones. "Iran knows the weapons were fired; however, their forces don't know if they missed by 50 meters, hit an empty tarmac, or successfully struck a crowded facility," Cooper explained. He added that "detailed lists, descriptions, and analyses of what was hit, openly published by news outlets, are essentially performing Iran’s Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for them, free of charge."
The Iranian Threat
This exploitation of open-source information provides Iran with an immediate tactical advantage. Cooper warned that "detailed public disclosures can become an immediate green light for Iranian forces to launch a secondary, much more devastating wave of attacks." This direct feedback loop allows the hostile regime to refine its targeting and escalate its aggression against Western forces.
The warning emerges amid escalating tensions between real-time news reporting, often supported by satellite imagery and first-person accounts, and the US military’s urgent need to restrict information. Such information could directly aid Iran in its efforts to kill and wound US troops. The conflict with Iran, which began on February 28 in the current year, has already claimed the lives of 18 US troops. More than 600 have been wounded in the fighting.
These casualties have deepened concerns among Americans about a war that only one in three citizens support. Democratic lawmakers have pressed for more information regarding the conflict. They've demanded details about damage to US infrastructure on bases, including radar towers, barracks, and aircraft hangars. Lawmakers also called for the release of a US military investigation into a likely US strike on a girls’ school in Iran, first reported by Reuters, on the opening day of the war.
Western Vulnerability
US officials have cautioned for years that specific applications on mobile devices, such as fitness apps, can be exploited by adversaries. Location data from these apps can be used to aid adversary targeting. Reuters reported in May that commercially available location data, harvested from smartphones and other devices, has already been used to target or surveil US forces.
The Pentagon, while facing these digital threats, has simultaneously sought to carefully control the release of information. This is due to what it describes as operational security concerns. It often declines to comment on Iran's attack claims or detail individual incidents that have led to injuries among US troops. This cautious approach highlights a strategic vulnerability as Iran actively leverages Western openness for its own destructive ends.