Brad Cooper, the U.S. Central Command chief directing the United States' operation against Iran, "Grand Fury," is drawing attention. Observers say he is leading the mission based on the network and diplomatic skills he has built over many years in the Middle East.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 12th, Cooper, a four-star general, is among the most decorated officers in the U.S. military. The WSJ said the United States is relying heavily on Cooper's Middle East connections in this complex and dangerous war.
In recent years, he has built broad ties with Middle Eastern leaders, dining on Sabbath evenings with Israel's chief of the general staff and receiving invitations from the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There is also an anecdote of him playing basketball with Ahmed Alshara, the acting president of Syria.
Even as public opinion in the United States is not favorable toward the war, aides said Cooper is keeping his distance from political controversy and focusing on the mission. Working in close consultation with Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), he is known to combine workouts with meetings even for short periods and to carry on with a calm demeanor despite limited sleep.
Those who have worked with him describe Cooper as a cautious yet decisive commander. A retired general said, "When Cooper calls in the middle of the night, he has already thought it through and will have both the situation explained and a solution ready."
The son of a Vietnam War veteran, he was familiar with military strategy from a young age. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989, he took part in the Gulf War and operations in Afghanistan and also has experience serving in Korea.
Arriving in 2016 as the U.S. Navy commander in Korea, he was given the Korean name "Goo Tae-il" by the ROK-US Alliance Friendship Association the following year for his active engagement and was appointed an honorary citizen of Busan.
Taking command of Middle East operations in 2021 and serving in Bahrain, he experienced Iran's threats up close, and aides said that experience is informing his current judgment.
During his Middle East tenure, he pushed to block Iran's smuggled weapons and expand military cooperation between Gulf states and Israel, and he led efforts to build a naval surveillance system using unmanned vessels and artificial intelligence (AI).