“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Trump wrote in a post on X, adding that Iran’s naval headquarters has been “largely destroyed” in a different attack.

“We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!” Trump wrote.

U.S. Central Command officials said earlier Sunday that an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was struck by U.S. forces at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

“The ship is currently sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman at a Chah Bahar pier,” the statement reads. “As the president said, members of Iran’s armed forces, IRGC and police ‘must lay down your weapons.’ Abandon ship.”

Three U.S. service members have been killed in action during combat operations against Iran, CENTCOM officials announced Sunday. Five more have been listed as “seriously wounded.”

U.S. B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s hardened ballistic missiles with 2,000-lb. bombs Saturday night, CENTCOM announced in a separate post Sunday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ claim that it struck the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles a “lie” in a post on X on Sunday.

“The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close,” CENTCOM said in the post. “The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”

The Lincoln carrier strike group is one of two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups deployed to the region, alongside the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, as part of the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the Middle East in a generation.

The assault by U.S. and partner forces began Saturday at 1:15 a.m., CENTCOM officials stated, with the goal of knocking out “the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that posed an imminent threat.”

Among the primary targets of the operation were Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields, according to the statement.

The compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also targeted in the operation. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that Khamenei was killed in the strike. Trump later confirmed in a Truth Social post on Saturday that Khamenei was killed in the attack, calling the moment “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”

At least 201 people have been killed and more than 700 injured across Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

This past year, the office has lightened body armor, added blood coolers for lifesaving measures and put together new cold weather gear for soldier testing, among other equipment. Program officers met with Army Times before the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting & Exposition to showcase some of its equipment.

High-tech headsets

The Integrated Visual Augmentation System is now known as the Soldier Borne Mission Command. The heads-up display device is set to see a glasses version, much slimmed down from the former goggle configuration.

In September, Rivet announced it executed a $195 million agreement for the project, which the company describes as the Army’s “next-generation situational awareness and mission command platform for dismounted units, company-level and below.” That same month Anduril announced it had been awarded a $159 million contract by the service for “an initial prototyping period to develop a night vision and mixed reality system” as part of program.

Anduril and Rivet are set to deliver 70 systems each with the new configuration by March for further evaluation. The schedule calls for putting the new architecture and hardware together in one package by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2027, according to Lt. Col. Mark May.

Loitering munitions

PEO-Soldier is also pursuing Purpose Built Attritable Systems, a loitering munition system that includes four five-inch and two 10-inch quadcopters. The system, which comes in a kit, can be used as a one-way attack drone or it can be configured to drop munitions or other items.

“I wouldn’t say you fly this, you shoot it,” said Lt. Col. Will Taylor. “It’s not your typical drone. It’s a munition.”

On the larger side of munitions is the Switchblade 600, a loitering munition that carries a Javelin warhead capable of decapitating a tank turret. It weighs 75 pounds with a length of approximately five feet, according to an Army release.

After being fired, the tube-launched, unmanned aircraft system flies like a drone while an operator uses onboard cameras to identify and engage targets.

So far, the service has fielded 138 devices across 12 units, with 1,600 on order for future fielding, Taylor said.

Keeping soldiers safe

On the soldier protection side, Lt. Col. Ken Elgort said the new Lightweight Small Arms Protective Inserts, or LSAPI, offer the same protection against ballistics as the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts, or ESAPI, but without the need for soft armor. The new body armor plate is also 1.5 pounds lighter.

The soft armor previously needed weighed about 2 pounds. Together that’s 3.5 pounds in weight savings for the same protection, Elgort noted.

In September, the Army awarded $65.5 million in delivery orders to Hardwire LLC and Leading Technology Composites, Inc., for 72,179 LSAPI plates, marking the official start of production for the new body armor plate, according to a service release.

Officials have also approved two new versions of helmet pads for a more customizable fit and improved comfort for soldiers. The rails on the helmet’s sides have been reconfigured for more length to attach tactical communications and hearing protection.

Conquering the cold

For soldiers fighting in the cold, tactical clothing, snowshoes, skis, cleats and other items are due for testing this winter, with the possibility of a unit being equipped with all new gear by fiscal 2028, said Lt. Col. Austin Banford.

Separately, soldiers in 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, are evaluating a poncho that shields soldiers from electromagnetic detection.

Medical care in the field

Soldier medical devices, which represent the newest addition to PEO-Soldier, include the Sparrow ventilator, which automatically pumps respiration, saving a soldier or medic from the task. Officials have also delivered blood coolers and freezers to the tactical level, allowing medics to make ice packs for blood delivery in the field.

A blast overpressure system is in the works, too. The monitor will measure how much blast exposure a soldier has accumulated and record the data throughout their Army service. Lastly, a medical trauma sensor in development reads key data, such as a soldier’s blood oxygen saturation and pulse, to help medical personnel more quickly identify problems using objective data and algorithms.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that Trump plans to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, who joined the venture capital firm Shield Capital in January, as the nation’s next chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

“General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment,” Hegseth said. “I look forward to working with him.”

No replacements for Franchetti — the first woman to serve as a service chief — or Slife were announced. Hegseth said he is requesting nominations to fill their roles.

Franchetti and Slife “have had distinguished careers,” Hegseth said. “We thank them for their service and dedication to our country.”

Franchetti made history in 2023 when she was confirmed as the Navy’s 33rd chief of naval operations, the first woman to hold the service’s top officer position and the first to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Commissioned in 1985, Franchetti became a surface warfare officer in 1989, entering the fleet at a time when women were barred from serving aboard combatant ships and aircraft. Congress lifted that ban in 1993, and Franchetti would go on to command two carrier strike groups, Carrier Strike Group 15 and Carrier Strike Group 9, U.S. Naval Forces Korea and Destroyer Squadron 21, among other at-sea and ashore assignments.

As commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, Franchetti oversaw the submarine John Warner’s 2018 Tomahawk missile strike on Syrian chemical weapons facilities – the first such strike by a Virginia-class submarine.

Before becoming CNO, Franchetti served as the Navy’s vice chief of naval operations. Her CNO confirmation in 2023 was stalled as part of a larger nominations blockade by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., over the Defense Department’s abortion access policy.

In September, Franchetti unveiled the Navy’s latest navigation plan, or NAVPLAN, detailing how the service will prepare for a potential future conflict with China by 2027 — the year President Xi Jinping has directed his military to invade Taiwan.

Franchetti is the second female top military officer Trump has dismissed during his second term, following his removal of then-Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan in January.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby will perform the CNO’s duties until a successor is appointed, according to reports.

Hegseth, meanwhile, also requested nominations for the Army, Navy and Air Force judge advocates general, indicating they too have been fired.

Since Trump’s reelection, rumors have swirled in Washington about Brown’s precarious position and possible firing.

Brown, who was the second Black chairman and the first Black officer to serve as a service chief, became a target for some commentators and lawmakers for his openness to diversity initiatives.

In his statement, Hegseth said Brown “has served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service. I have come to know him as a thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country.”

The tenor of that statement differed from Hegseth’s remarks on Brown in his book, The War on Warriors, and in interviews before Hegseth was nominated as defense secretary.

“You think CQ Brown will think intuitively about external threats and internal readiness?” Hegseth wrote. “No chance. He built his generalship dutifully pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians, who in turn rewarded him with promotions.”

Brown was a decorated F-16 pilot, who counted 130 hours in combat among his 3,000 flight hours, and served in multiple top leadership roles before taking charge of the Air Force.

As deputy chief for U.S. Central Command, Brown directed the air war against the Islamic State militant group. Brown also previously served as Pacific Air Forces commander, and as Air Force chief of staff, a role in which he focused on transforming the service to prepare for a possible war against China.

His position appeared more secure after he was seen talking with President-elect Trump at the Army-Navy game in December. On his first day as defense secretary, Hegseth entered the building side-by-side with Brown and said he looked forward to working with him.

But this week, a list of generals who could be fired began circulating on Capitol Hill, including Brown and Franchetti. Lawmakers of both parties sent Hegseth a letter earlier Friday asking for more transparency on officer removals to keep the process apolitical.

Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he is “troubled by the nature of these dismissals.”

“This appears to be part of a broader, premeditated campaign by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to purge talented officers for politically charged reasons,” Reed said, “which would undermine the professionalism of our military and send a chilling message through the ranks.

“America has the strongest, most capable military in the world,” he continued. “But firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the trust and professionalism that our service members require to achieve their missions. … A professional, apolitical military that is subordinate to the civilian government and supportive of the Constitution rather than a political party is essential to the survival of our democracy.”

The policy institute Center for American Progress blasted the firings, calling them “a deliberate effort to target senior professional military officers” and replace them with Trump loyalists.

“Few public servants have more honor, integrity and courage than the military officials that Trump fired today,” Rudy de Leon, a senior fellow at CAP and former deputy secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton, said in a statement.

“This action disrupts the chain of command, erodes military readiness, and damages morale throughout the ranks,” de Leon added. “It sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to further politicization of the military and pressure senior nonpartisan military officers to put politics ahead of their duty.”

Brown’s firing, which comes less than a year and a half into his tenure as chairman, marks a swift downfall in the fortunes of the nation’s top military officer, who was widely respected in the Pentagon and by lawmakers and officials of both parties.

Trump nominated Brown to become Air Force chief of staff in May 2020. Weeks later, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police, which sparked a national wave of outrage and activism surrounding racial justice.

Brown made a video that summer in which he spoke about his experiences as a Black officer in the U.S. military. Making such a public statement, which was widely circulated, could have endangered his nomination as Air Force chief of staff, but the Senate soon confirmed him 98-0.

Former President Joe Biden in 2023 picked Brown to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Brown was again confirmed unanimously by the Senate.

But during Brown’s nomination process, there were signs that his stance on diversity was becoming a political vulnerability.

In a July 2023 nomination hearing, senators of both parties largely praised Brown for his experience and leadership ability. Brown emphasized the importance of keeping the military apolitical in that hearing, and pledged to remain nonpartisan as chairman.

During that hearing, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., opened up his questioning of Brown by asking, “Do we have too many white officers in the Air Force?”

Schmitt blasted Brown for signing on to a memo the previous year, along with other Air Force and Space Force officials, that set aspirational demographic goals for the applicant pool for officers. That memo also called for Air Education and Training Command and the U.S. Air Force Academy to create diversity and inclusion outreach plans to meet those applicant goals.

Schmitt falsely characterized the memo as saying the Air Force should have an officer corps that is 67.5% white, which he said would be a 9% reduction of white officers.

Brown noted that the memo was on application goals, and did not set a quota for how many members of each race should be in the Air Force. He added that efforts to improve diversity in the Air Force are important, so airmen of all backgrounds can have the chance to excel.

“All they want is a fair opportunity to perform,” Brown said. “And by providing that fair opportunity, they do not want to be advantaged or disadvantaged or discounted based on their background.”

Brown said he held that same view for himself as he became a fighter pilot, instructor and commandant of the Air Force Weapons School.

“I didn’t want to be the best African American F-16 pilot,” Brown said in that hearing. “I wanted to be the best F-16 pilot.”