CENTCOM launches new podcast amid the ongoing Iran war
Source: Task & Purpose
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Eight months into the war with Iran, the U.S. military command overseeing the conflict launched a podcast.
This week U.S. Central Command released the first episode of “Inside CENTCOM.” Hosted by Fleet Master Chief Lateef Compton, CENTCOM’s senior enlisted leader, the first episode featured the command’s chief, Adm. Brad Cooper. Compton said each episode is meant to be an “informal conversation” with a different guest from the command.
“We’re doing this podcast today to offer insight into how we operate here at CENTCOM and to give you an opportunity to get to know the incredible people who make up our team,” Compton said in the introduction.
For the short first episode, Cooper and Compton talked about a number of topics but avoided discussing the ongoing war with Iran. Cooper, who commands tens of thousands of troops supporting operations in the conflict, only loosely alluded to it, mentioning that “no one could have imagined the trajectory of events we would be on.” Operation Epic Fury, the name for the initial phase of the war, was mentioned, but only as a timeline marker for questions about fitness.
Comments on the video on YouTube were turned off.
Cooper has served as CENTCOM chief since mid-2025. Last month, when Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was fired from his role as the top planner on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon said that Sylvia was “not a central planner for the Iran war,” a responsibility it said was held by Cooper.
During the nearly 12-minute conversation, Cooper and Compton discussed a number of topics including their favorite NFL teams, keeping fit and their role models. It’s not clear when specifically the episode was recorded, but it came out shortly after U.S. forces attacked Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. As of Saturday afternoon, the video version of the first episode has more than 23,000 views.
23 service members have died since the start of the war on Feb. 28, according to the Department of Defense’s database on war casualties. More than 860 others have been wounded in action.
Since the start of the war, CENTCOM has kept a tight control on the information it releases, ranging from the exact damage to bases. After a series of daily updates of the number of targets hit and the weapons systems involved in the early phases of Epic Fury, CENTCOM has largely shared images and videos to social media of flight operations on aircraft carriers or troops manning positions in the region rather than detailed updates on the war. The Defense Department’s Office of the Inspector General’s report on the war also said that the mission statement for Operation Epic Fury is classified.
That obscurity has drawn criticism from elected representatives, as well as service members, as reports of poor conditions on Navy ships and images of heavily damaged aircraft and bases in the Middle East began to independently emerge. After being quiet on reports of damage to the important Navy base in Bahrain for months, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao admitted in September that Iran “blew the hell out of” it. Meanwhile, after military leaders pushed back on reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard amid low morale and bad conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, top Navy officials eventually admitted there were mental health issues that were treated, and sent more counselors to the ship.
In recent weeks, the command has been offering sporadic video updates on the blockade of Iranian ports and the status of the contested Strait of Hormuz, with Cooper talking to the camera about the number of ships U.S. forces have allowed through and the impact to Iran.
It’s not clear what the release schedule for the show will be or if it will broaden into topics like the ongoing war.
The post CENTCOM launches new podcast amid the ongoing Iran war appeared first on Task & Purpose.
Classification
Region
West Asia
Analytical Domain
Informational
Primary Category / Secondary Categories
Information Operations / Military Operations
SALUTE Report
Size
tens of thousands of troops
Activity
U.S. Central Command launched a podcast to provide insight into operations and personnel
Location
Qeshm Island · Strait of Hormuz
Unit
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
Time
November 2026
Equipment
-
Summary
U.S. Central Command launched the 'Inside CENTCOM' podcast to provide insights into its operations and personnel. The first episode featured Adm. Brad Cooper, who discussed various topics but avoided specifics about the ongoing war with Iran. As of November 2026, 23 service members have died and over 860 have been wounded since the conflict began.
Key Facts
- U.S. Central Command launched a podcast called 'Inside CENTCOM'.
- The first episode featured Adm. Brad Cooper discussing military operations.
- 23 service members have died since the start of the war with Iran.
- More than 860 others have been wounded in action.
- CENTCOM has maintained tight control over information released about the war.