In this episode, Dale and Christophe break down the U.S. Navy's role in Operation Epic Fury — the massive American military campaign launched against Iran on February 28, 2026. From the decades of tension that set the stage, to the opening Tomahawk salvo, the systematic destruction of the Iranian Navy, and the debut of revolutionary new drone technology, this episode covers the full naval picture of one of the most significant military operations in a generation.

Note: Everything discussed in this episode reflects what has been publicly reported as of early March 2026. Details may be updated or corrected as more information becomes available. Some cost figures are modeled estimates from think tanks, not confirmed Pentagon data. Operational details — including submarine deployments, munitions counts, and targeting specifics — reflect only what officials have chosen to disclose publicly.

The episode opens with the 45-year history of U.S.-Iran tensions that made Operation Epic Fury inevitable — from the 1979 hostage crisis, to the IRGC's systematic harassment of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, to the 2019 tanker attacks, to Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, when the U.S. struck Iran's nuclear facilities using B-2 stealth bombers and submarine-launched Tomahawks.

From there, Dale and Christophe walk through the full naval order of battle assembled for Epic Fury — the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike groups, fourteen Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, three littoral combat ships, and an undisclosed number of submarines operating across the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the eastern Mediterranean — and explain why the geographic positioning of each asset was as strategic as the assets themselves.

The episode then dives into the opening Tomahawk campaign, the systematic destruction of the Iranian Navy — including the first sinking of an enemy vessel by U.S. torpedo since World War II — and Iran's massive retaliatory barrage of 500+ ballistic missiles and 2,000+ drones in the first four days of the war. Dale and Christoph examine how the Navy's Aegis missile defense systems held the line, and why the sustainability of interceptor stockpiles is one of the most pressing strategic questions hanging over the operation.

The second half of the episode covers the combat debut of LUCAS — the $35,000 drone reverse-engineered from Iran's own Shahed-136 — and the critical but largely invisible role of the EA-18G Growler in clearing the electronic path over Iranian airspace. The episode closes with a hard look at the economics of the operation, the shift to Phase 2 targeting Iran's missile production industrial base, and what Operation Epic Fury reveals about the future of American sea power — including the vulnerabilities it has exposed along the way.

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Fair winds and following seas.

Dale and Christophe discuss the February 1942 Battle of Badung ("Bong/Barong") Strait in the Netherlands East Indies, framing it within Japan’s rapid early-Pacific-War offensives after Pearl Harbor and the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, and Japan’s drive to seize oil and strategic airfields. They explain ABDA Command under Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman as a multinational, unevenly coordinated force facing Japanese air superiority, refined night-fighting doctrine, and Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedoes. Japan lands troops from the 48th Infantry Division on Bali on February 19 and moves to secure Denpasar airfield, prompting Allied surface counterattacks in confined waters. U.S. Clemson-class destroyers fire torpedoes without confirmed hits and withdraw; Dutch cruisers De Ruyter and Java with destroyers fight Japanese escorts, suffer damage, evade torpedoes, and also withdraw, leaving Bali secured and foreshadowing the Battle of the Java Sea. The episode closes honoring Medal of Honor recipient PFC Charles N. DeGlopper (killed June 9, 1944, near La Fière, France).

Dale and Christophe discuss the First Barbary War and the 1803 loss of the 44-gun frigate USS Philadelphia, commanded by Captain William Bainbridge, after it struck an uncharted reef while pursuing a Tripolitan corsair into Tripoli Harbor and was captured with more than 300 sailors taken prisoner. With the captured ship refloated and positioned under Tripoli’s harbor defenses, 25-year-old Lt. Stephen Decatur volunteers to prevent it from being used against the U.S. Navy. Using the captured ketch renamed USS Intrepid and disguised as a Maltese merchant vessel, Decatur leads 67 volunteers into Tripoli Harbor on February 16, 1804, relying on deception, silence, and hand-to-hand weapons only. After being allowed alongside and then detected, the Americans board, secure the deck in about 20 minutes with no American combat fatalities, and set the Philadelphia ablaze when escape under sail proves impossible. The Intrepid rows out as Tripoli’s defenses fire; the burning frigate later explodes, eliminating Tripoli’s prize and restoring U.S. naval honor. The episode explains how the raid reshaped perceptions of the young U.S. Navy, influenced naval doctrine on denying assets to the enemy, and became part of Marine Corps tradition (“to the shores of Tripoli”), while noting the war continued until 1805 and prisoners remained captive until later negotiations that included a ransom payment. The hosts also answer questions about the deception, likely multilingual communication at sea, and typical ketch crew sizes, and reflect on scuttling as preferable to enemy capture. In the closing tribute segment, they honor Fireman Third Class John Lammers of Osberg, Wisconsin, who enlisted in June 1918, trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and died of Spanish influenza at the Great Lakes Navy Hospital on September 25, 1918; an American Legion post in his hometown is named in his honor. The episode ends with listener contact information (email, X/Twitter, and Discord) and a request for ratings and reviews.