— An Air Force email dated August 7 and obtained by CBS News shows Pentagon officials instructed personnel to stop using the name “Operation Epic Fury” and instead describe the conflict as “overseas operations in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.” The guidance came from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s public affairs office and required CENTCOM approval for public information. Officials said the guidance was distributed across the Defense Department in August and September.
However, the timing has raised questions because some troops killed or wounded after May 5 were initially classified as Epic Fury casualties, and Pentagon records still list some June and July casualties under the operation despite its claimed May 5 end date.
