"Protecting civilian life is part of our culture as a professional fighting force … It is embedded in how we plan, how we target, and how we fight," Adm. Bradley Cooper wrote in an unclassified memo dated May 26 and distributed throughout U.S. Central Command.
Adm. Bradley Cooper's directive to CENTCOM commanders
The memo, viewed by Breaking Defense and circulated across CENTCOM, instructs commanders at every level to "distinguish between those who fight and those who do not, applying force only against lawful military objectives, and exercise judgment before you employ your weapons." It frames protection of civilians not as an optional restraint but as an integral part of mission planning, targeting and execution: "Every target nomination. Every strike. Every engagement."
Cooper expressly links legal compliance to combat effectiveness: "Our commitment to the law of armed conflict is not a constraint on our lethality," he wrote. "It is the source of our legitimacy, the reason our partners choose to stand with us, and a direct contributor to our operational effectiveness. A force that fights with discipline and fidelity to the law is more lethal, not less." The memo also draws a moral and operational contrast with adversaries that "opt to target civilians and create terror by targeting schools, hospitals and places of worship," adding, "We will never fight that way."
How CENTCOM characterized the memo
When asked what prompted the directive, CENTCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told Breaking Defense it was a "general reminder to the force, one of many he has delivered to troops in multiple formats." The characterization frames the memo as reinforcement of existing standards rather than a sudden policy change.
Comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump
The memo arrives amid public statements from the civilian leadership that have drawn scrutiny. The source recounts multiple comments by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that critics say downplay or denigrate traditional restraints in armed conflict: an early-March briefing promise of "No stupid rules of engagement" for the Iran operation; a 2024 book reference to "academic rules of engagement which have been tying the hands of our warfighters for too long;" and a March 13 remark, "We will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies." The latter prompted questions from lawmakers and legal experts about whether it amounted to an endorsement of war crimes, according to the report.
The report also cites a series of social-media posts by President Donald Trump in early April that threatened "to attack Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets." One quoted post read, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," though the source notes the president "backed off later in the day."
Recent exchanges between the United States and Iran
The memo was issued against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire the source says remains under strain. Despite the ceasefire declaration in early April, the United States and Iran have continued to exchange sporadic fire. The U.S., the report says, "has stuck Iranian missile sites and boats in recent days." The source further reports that President Trump asserted Iran "shot down" an AH-64 Apache off the coast of Oman on Monday, and that the helicopter crew "was rescued, in part, due to an unmanned vessel." The president is quoted saying, "The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."
How CENTCOM forces, lawmakers, and partners may read the memo
- CENTCOM forces: The command's spokesman framed the memo as a routine reinforcement — "a general reminder to the force." For operators, the memo reiterates that legal assessment and discrimination are expected at every step: from campaign planning down to individual tactical decisions.
- Lawmakers and legal experts: The memo appears in the wake of congressional and legal scrutiny triggered by the defense secretary's "no quarter" phrasing and related comments; observers in the source had already questioned whether such rhetoric risked endorsing unlawful conduct.
- U.S. partners: Cooper explicitly ties adherence to the law of armed conflict to why "our partners choose to stand with us," signaling that legal compliance is being presented as a diplomatic as well as a military imperative.
The memo sets a clear internal standard at CENTCOM: discipline and fidelity to the law are presented not as limits on action but as the foundation of legitimacy and combat effectiveness. Yet the document was released into an environment shaped by contrasting public statements from the Pentagon and the White House and by ongoing exchanges with Iran — circumstances the memo itself implicitly acknowledges by stressing judgment at every level of command.
Read the original report: https://breakingdefense.com/2026/06/in-memo-to-centcom-commanders-cooper-warns-of-duty-to-protect-civilians/
