Central Command Alerts

About CENTCOM Alerts

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) directs and enables military operations and activities with allies and partners across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia to increase regional security and stability in support of enduring U.S. interests. The area of responsibility spans 21 nations and includes critical maritime chokepoints, most notably the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb, that carry a large share of global oil and gas shipping. Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, the command oversees planning and coordination for joint and coalition forces.

CENTCOM is a geographic combatant command situated between the European, Africa, and Indo-Pacific commands. The command's 2026 priorities are to defend the homeland, deter conflict with Iran and its proxies, and compete with China across the region. Operations in 2026 include Project Freedom, launched in May to support freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and mine-clearance activity in the same waterway. Counter-terrorism operations and partner-nation security cooperation remain ongoing lines of effort.

For broader context, see the current DEFCON assessment, the Carrier Tracker for active US Navy strike-group positions, and the DEFCON Watch threat analysis briefings. For sector-specific monitoring, the Financial Impact Monitor tracks market and commodity movement linked to regional events, and the Cyber Threat Map shows global cyber-incident activity.