US Central Command Considers Confiscating Troops' Phones to Block Iran

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, warned troops in the Middle East that cellphone videos and social media posts are providing Iran with near real-time battle damage assessments of its military strikes. In a July 28 letter, Cooper stated that detailed public disclosures of strike impacts could serve as a "green light" for Iran to launch secondary, more devastating attacks.

These security concerns stem from a July 17 Iranian missile and drone attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. During that incident, a service member used Meta smart glasses to record soldiers evacuating to a bunker, with the footage later posted to Instagram. Cooper noted that such open-source intelligence reveals critical evacuation patterns and bunker locations, which effectively performs Iranian battle damage assessments for free.

In response, some U.S. personnel in Jordan have been informed that their phones will be confiscated, while the command considers extending similar restrictions to other areas in the region. While spokesperson Timothy Hawkins described the guidance as a general reminder regarding operational security, the move follows a broader conflict starting February 28 that has left 18 U.S. troops dead and over 600 wounded. Separately, U.S. lawmakers have criticized the Pentagon for failing to protect personnel from commercial location data brokers.